Dealernews Issue#2 February 2020

DN 2.0 #2

TOP AMERICAN Ricky Brabec Wins Dakar

DEALER PROFILE

Honda Of Covington Powersports

SHOWTIME!

Tucker Show In Texas Western Power Sports Marshals The Reps

CONTENTS

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06 WORLD’S LUCKIEST MAN 08 EDITORS NOTE 10 LETTERS+ 12 NEWS+ 16 SHIFTING GEARS+ 20 DEALER PROFILE+ 26 INDUSTRY RESEARCH+ 28 INDUSTRY RESEARCH+ 34 OEM UPDATE+ 39 eDEALERNEWS 40 eNEWS 43 SHOWTIME+ 44 TUCKER SHOW 46 WPS SALES MEETING

Bob Althoff On Rolling Thunder Dealernews Robin Hartfiel On Time Flies

The Industry On Dealernews News Dealers Can Use Who’s Where?

Covington Honda: Born On The Bayou Dr. Paul Leinberger On Moving From “Me” To”We” Don Musick On Where’s Waldo, Part II Charlie Williams On Rode Testing Honda CRF450L Currents

Watts Happening?

WPS & Tucker Distributor Doings Back To DFW

Hitting 60 In Stride

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48 OPINION+ 51 AN AMERICAN HERO 52 MIPS HEADS UP! 54 Opinion+ 57 PERSONNEL FILEs 60 CONFESSIONS OF A CUSTOMER 62 MIC RIDE REPORT 64 ADVOCACY+ 66 WÜNSCHISMS 68 GEAR+ 72 PRESS PASS+ 74 PRESS PASS+ 76 PARTING SHOT+ 77 AD INDEX 78 VALE+

Scot Harden On Ricky Brabec’s Dakar Win Jason Gearld On Breakfast With Brabec What’s On Brabec’s Brain?

William Douglas Little On Tie Downs Ryan Baylon On Success

Eric Anderson On The Other Side Of The Counter What Does The MIC Do For You? Don Amador On Fire Recovery

Uncle Paul On Done-Solved Mysteries Heading Into Spring

Best Of British Bash

Super73 Charges Ahead!

Lowell Anderson On Stopping The Madness This issue Brought To You By…

Ave Atque Vale Paulo Goncalves

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OUR TEAM Bob Althoff W.L.M.

EDITORIAL Robin Hartfiel Editor Gus Stewart Creative Director Brenda Stiehl Production Manager

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CONTRIBUTORS Don Musick Genesys Technology Solutions Dr. Paul Leinberger Denny+Leinberger Strategy Eric Anderson Vroom Network Lenny Sims NADA Appraisal Guides Scot Harden AMA Hall Of Fame/Harden Offroad Hector Cademartori Illustrations William Douglas Little Unique Powersports Charlie Williams Off Road Editor Marq Smith Holeshot Motorsports, Canada Alisa Clickenger Women’s Motorcycle Tours Don Amador Quiet Warrior Racing Joe Bonnello Joe B Photography Uncle Paul Wunsch Love Cycles The Anonymous Dealer Dealer Advisory Board Bob Althoff Chairman Joey Belmont Big #1 Sports Jim Boltz Lynnwood Cycle Barn/WMDA Jim Foster Killeen Power Sports George Gatto Gatto Harley-Davidson Malcolm Hunter Deeley Harley-Davidson Robert Kay Star City Motorsports Bob Kee Destination Cycle Jerry Lenz Beaverton Motorcycles Kurt Mechling Performance PowerSports Don Owens Dothan Powersports Mark Peterson Southwest Superbikes Sandy Stroope Boat World Honda Polaris

ADVERTISING John Murphy Publishing Consultant johnmurphy@dealernews.com Tigra Tsujikawa Sponsorship Manager (949) 861-0863 tigratsujikawa26@gmail.com Blake Foulds Account Executive (760) 715-3045 Blakefoulds@dealernews.com

Dealernews Magazine P.O. Box 73640 San Clemente, CA 92673 Phone (949) 463-4319 www.dealernews.com © Copyright 2020

W.L.M.

By Bob Althoff

LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY! Dealernews & Rolling Thunder

D

ealernews exists because it has to. It just could not go away.

Our industry, the one that provides jobs, changes lives and supports countless charities; the one that puts 25 billion dollars through our cash registers; the one that we love — depends on its institutions. After 50+ years, Dealernews certainly has earned its right to be one of those institutions. Speaking as one of North America’s 9,800+ powersports dealers, we need Dealernews.

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When I first heard the news of Dealernews’ demise a few years ago, I asked myself, as I’m sure you did; “Okay? Now what? Where will I be able to continue to learn from my fellow dealers? How will I continue to be inspired by the great work being done in cities large and small by dealers serving their communities?” The answer was simple, bring Dealernews back.

Dealernews exists because it has to. We must continue serving dealers as they pursue “retail excellence.”

It is really the same dynamic that has many of us committed to doing our part in keeping Rolling Thunder alive and well after circumstances dictated that the Washington, D.C. event would be no more. As a member of an Ohio Rolling Thunder Chapter, I’m proud to be working in concert with all seven of Ohio’s Rolling Thunder Chapters to hold a major event on 5-24-2020 in Columbus.

As dealers, we understand that our role in many worthy events… events our riding customers care about. When it comes to institutions like Rolling Thunder, we are obligated to either: 1) Lead 2) Follow 3) Get out of the way!

It is an obligation but many of us are always proud of the cumulative impact we can have on our local riding communities and the nation as a whole!

Rolling Thunder’s 32-year traditions are profoundly important to our customers… all of our customers. I humbly ask you to consider getting the word out about all of the Rolling Thunder events scheduled for 5-24-2020.

Bob For updates and more information, call Ty Geiser at (330) 466-0086 or visit rollingthunderohio.com.

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Ironically Dealernews had first brought me in as a consultant to talk to this pantheon of moto industry Gods to help shake things up. An unfortunate coincidence saw all three of the trade publications —Dealernews, Rick Campbell at Motorcycle Industry and Bob Jackson at Motorcycle Product News — run the exact same cover shot of the KLR600 supplied by Kawasaki as the February show issue cover.

Who was I to tell these guys anything? But by using my eyes and ears more than my mouth, the team came up with solutions that changed the course of the magazine for the better. The name of the publication was “Dealer News” so it was then that we started putting dealers on the cover.

The logical extension was the launching of the Dealernews Top 100 program to recognize retailing excellence. Pretty proud to have been a part of the subsequent 25-year Top 100 run and instrumentally impacting our industry for the better.

Editor’s Note

By Robin Hartfiel

TIME FLIES…

But The Industry Stays The Same?

W

hen I first started working as a beat reporter for the Fallbrook Enterprise in the 1980s, I became accustomed to being the youngest guy in the room when I covered the School Board and Water District meetings or sat with the watch commander transcribing the police blotter. Same for when I joined the mayhem at McMullen Publishing, but it was when I first joined Dealernews, that the age gap was really apparent.

Staff meetings were literally The Who’s Who of the motorcycle world. Publisher Don Emde was in the process of handing off the reins to John Murphy in order to launch his Motorcycle Collector Magazine and although I was a dirtbike and Dakar fan, even I knew Don and his Dad Floyd were the only father/son combo to win the Daytona 200 in an era when it was the most important motorcycle race in America. Our ad sales guy was Catalina GP winner and AMA Hall of Famer John McLaughlin and the senior columnist was the legendary Don J. Brown, the ultimate motorcycle industry renaissance man.

Coming through the revolving door of the Dealernews club house were legends and heroes like Everett Brashear, winner of 15 AMA flat track nationals, looking for John Murphy to make up a foursome for golf; Dealernews and Dealer Expo founder Larry Hester (who still owned the building long after he sold his interests); wheeler-dealer John Wyckoff… the list goes on. As the new kid (even though I had already been editor of half a dozen newsstand magazines for a decade) I remembered my newspaper training: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

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With Ricky Brabec’s win and Honda breaking KTM’s 17 consecutive win streak, it helps prove that anything is possible, no matter how improbable… even an American winning Dakar. It also reinforces a couple points to me personally. Specifically listen more, speak less.

While the icons in the room may have changed since the 1980s, to this day, it still amazes me when I get to interview an industry titan like Craig Shoemaker during WPS sales meeting, or talk about the Dakar Rally with Scot Harden. In fact, I mentioned this to Bob Althoff and found he has been a rabid Dakar fan even longer than I have… the one thing left on his bucket list remains to lead a team to compete in the Rally. Really!

Shoemaker says there will always be “glass is half-empty” people out there… just as there will always be opportunities for those willing to find them. “This industry is in a good place, and it always has been. Segments may change and attrition occurs, it always has — but that just makes room for the next guy to step up.”

It may have been 30 years ago, but I vividly remember Don Brown trying to prove a point before I dared to tell him how to “fix” his magazine. When I finally shut my mouth trying to defend the proposed changes and listened to what he was saying, we found we were actually on the same page, as improbable as it may have appeared.

Time flies, but our industry has many of the same challenges… and same opportunities to this day. Thank you Craig Shoemaker for the reminder. Note to self: listen more, rant less.

Former Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Dealernews circa 19902003, Robin returns to the magazine. In addition to having been instrumental in creating the Dealernews Top 100 program (still the industry’s ultimate accolade for a motorcycle dealership), Hartfiel has worked for most of the B2B publications in the Powersports arena. Prior to the trade side, he worked as a beat reporter for a local newspaper and was an editor of publications ranging from All About Beer to VW Trends.

As Uncle Paul Wünsch said, “Perception is reality” so when someone at Motley Fool, Women’s Wear Daily or The Wall Street Journal comments on our industry, we sometimes share it on social media.

I can’t control the lunacy of the non-endemic reporting on our industry, but if we are missing the mark with Dealernews Magazine, I definitely want to know!

RIP MTA Sad to see MTA call it quits. We used to love MTA for their wide product variety and excellent pricing, hope there is a future for them. If they do go belly up, we hope their in-house brands like Slasher and STI will live on.

David Mosher TrailSport Motors Brown City, MI STI will definitely live on... see the news item in January’s issue announcing Parts Unlimited is now distributing STI tires and wheels. Not sure about the future of Slasher, though.

Not sure that I have ever heard off-road editor Charlie Williams described as “PC” and he even had to sit in the corner for what he wrote last issue; Dr. Leinberger and Donald Musick are fact-driven, not commercially motivated; Scot Harden has been a passionate advocate for our industry for his entire adult life and has insight on things like Ricky Brabec’s Dakar win that come directly from having competed in the Rally; Alisa Clickenger’s comments on diversity come from miles in the the saddle and years in the industry, not a commercial background; ditto for Don Amador’s advocacy efforts. Is it Bob Althoff’s perspective from being the Dealer Principal of the oldest Harley dealership in the world; Marq Smith’s look at the Canadian market; William Douglas Little’s tall tales… or are you referring to something else?

Hi David, Are you talking about the mainstream media posts we share on social media to demonstrate the appalling ignorance of “journalists” or the actual content that is being generated and disseminated free of charge in the digital editions of Dealernews?

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JOHN MURPHY you are the most amazing human being I have the opportunity to know.

Sincere Thanks!

Marc Lemire Thunder Leather Drummondville, Quebec CANADA John Murphy says: We are all in this together! Motorcycle industry people are the greatest... but you already knew that! It was great to reconnect with my old pal Marc Lemire. We have all been through some tough times in the past 20 years, but the good people of the powersports industry are still here, still persevering and still making a difference.

After 50+ years Dealernews is still here and still trying to make a difference for our friends in the industry.

Sincerely, Robin Hartfiel, Editor Dealernews

FLAMING DEALERNEWS ON FACEBOOK David Gordon doesn’t recommend Dealernews. Commercial overload!

PC-driven Bullshit articles!

David Gordon Via Facebook

is back and I am blessed that I am able to talk to him and have him help me in my own struggle. His words are wisdom to me.

STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE Today is one of the greatest days I’ve had since my accident back in 2001 when I fell from my truck and suffered a head trauma which caused many struggles and two suicide attempts during that period.

By the grace of God I found a great friend that I met 25 years ago.

After a couple of years dealing with him at Dealernews Magazine, John Murphy was forced to leave when he was diagnosed with MS. And now he

OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT VS. POWERSPORTS SHOWS “Well, I just received my first Dealernews Down Load e-blast and I watched the attached video... GIE Expo could take a few lessons from the AIMExpo powersports industry show.

Looks like a very well organized — CLEAN — show. Now, I’m not a motorcycle rider and deal with outdoor power equipment instead, but this would be an interesting show even for me to attend. Plus your coverage was well done, but why wouldn’t it be?”

Dale Stotts, Proprietor Stotts Engine Services Monett, Missouri Thanks Dale, but was the eblast or show coverage “commercial overload” or “PCdriven Bullshit?”

The motorcycle manufacturers understand this relationship. Triumph, Ducati and Yamaha are releasing their electric bicycles this year, and Harley-Davidson is investing millions to create their electric bicycle division.

Tom Hicks Southern California Motorcycles Brea, CA EDEALERNEWS? The Grand Opening for our So Cal Giant E-Bicycle store is Saturday, February 29th, and it will be very unique. Some may wonder why we are opening an exclusive E-Bicycle store in our complex… and for good reason.

Electric bicycles in a motorcycle dealership?

Believe it or not there really is a tie in. One reason is that motorcyclists are getting older.

As we get older physical limitations affect how much we can do. These power assist bicycles (yes you still have to pedal them) are a perfect answer. You can get as much or as little exercise as you want, and you are having fun. Another reason is that it gets people on two wheels.

Long-time motorcycle dealer and repeat top Ducati and top Triumph dealer in the nation Tom Hicks is now the latest Giant E-Bicycle dealer in the country. We will be covering his grand opening and catching up with this repeat Dealernews Top 100 winner in the next issue.

CONGRATULATIONS Great group of incoming Motorcycle Industry Council Board Of Directors. Congratulations Dealernews’ Robin Hartfiel and Triumph’s Rod Lopusnak... Great choices!

Steve Johnson, Retired Via Facebook Steve Johnson was President and CEO of Tucker Rocky before retiring in 2012 after 12 year’s in the saddle.

SOUND OFF! Dealernews is indeed back. Join in the conversation via e-mail Editor@dealernews.com Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ dealernews/ Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ DealernewsFan/ Follow along on Dealernews.com Tune into the new YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/ UCZE6q4gQ5EIz0nOX4WaXw1w

Call it whatever you like.

Tax season. Riding season.

All we know is folks are itching to ride.

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COMOTO CONQUEST

SPEED KINGS

“We do have a dealer program for 5-pak orders drop shipped right from our printer in Missouri…Yes! Printed in the USA,” exclaims former Dealernews publisher, only Daytona 200 father-son winner and AMA Hall of Famer, Don Emde. “It was named one of the three finalists in the ‘Best Book’ division of the 2019 Motor Press Guild / Dean Batchelor Awards for Journalistic Excellence.”

Emde is speaking of The Speed Kings. The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing, his latest book. The richly illustrated, 372-page hardbound book tells the story of the first generation of motorcycle boardtrack racing in the early 1900s and the rise of ¼-mile circular motordromes banked at 60-degrees. The Speed Kings follows the life and times of Jake DeRosier, Charles “Fearless” Balke, Eddie Hasha and others from their first day of racing to their last.

The Speed Kings. The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing actually begins in the late-1800s with the first seven chapters covering early day history of two-wheel racing in America. High-wheel bicycles, velodromes, motor-pacing with gasoline, electric and steam power are all featured. In Part II, many motorcycle brands are introduced and dirt track racing starts to get serious at dusty fairground tracks from coast to coast. Also, wooden velodromes for bicycle racing inspire the creation of larger versions for the piston-powered machines. The age of motordrome racing began with one track, but the spectacle became contagious and the public couldn’t get enough, filling motordromes in some cities three nights a week.

The Speed Kings. The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing,

By Don Emde - Hardbound / 372 Pages / 600 Illustrations / 40 chapters plus Prologue and Epilogue - 4-color Sepia Tone Throughout / Printed in the United States of America.

Available now from EmdeBooks.com / ISBN: 978-0-9972720-1-7

Contact Don Emde at don@emdebooks.com or call 949215-4780 x206 for information about U.S. dealer 5-pak program and/or international orders and other questions.

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Comoto Holdings, parent company of RevZilla and Cycle Gear, has acquired J&P Cycles from Monomoy Capital Partners, the successors to MAG (Motorsport Aftermarket Group). J&P is said to be the industry’s largest omnichannel retailer of aftermarket products for the American V-Twin segment. With this acquisition, Comoto Holdings becomes the market leader in yet another segment of the powersports aftermarket-products industry.

“We are thrilled to welcome Zach Parham and the talented team from J&P Cycles into the Comoto Family of Brands,” said Ken Murphy, CEO of Comoto Holdings. “J&P’s decadeslong legacy of exceptional service and selection are hallmark tenets of each and every Comoto retail brand and will remain a driving force behind our continued highgrowth in the years to come.”

According to Murphy, J&P will continue to operate as a distinct and differentiated retail brand, under the daily operational leadership of industry icon and long-time J&P Cycles veteran, Parham, who joins the Comoto executive leadership team as president of J&P Cycles.

“J&P Cycles was built on obsession with customer service and offering the best product selection for riders,” said Zach Parham, president of J&P Cycles. “Comoto shares these same values. Each retail brand in the Comoto Family has complementary strengths and we are excited to leverage those strengths, to take J&P Cycles to the next level.”

With this transaction now finalized, organizational efforts are underway to facilitate a seamless integration of J&P Cycles into the Comoto platform and to ensure ‘ride-season readiness’ for all three retail brands.

“As a platform for many of the industry’s most storied retail brands, our commitment to our customers is to preserve the legacy brand-attributes that matter most to them, while also unlocking the full selection, service, and savings benefits our customers deserve when shopping within the Comoto Family of Brands,” said Murphy.

About Comoto Holdings Comoto Holdings is America’s largest and fastest growing omni-channel platform in the powersports aftermarketproducts industry; dedicated to advancing the experience of moto enthusiasts across the globe. Comoto’s brands, RevZilla, Cycle Gear and now J&P Cycles, deliver premium products, dedicated expertise, engaging media, and passionate customer support of the rider community, through best-in-class ecommerce and retail experience

Order Line (318) 608-4590 Toll Free (800) 304-0051 www.legacydistributing.com

FR all-terrain NTLINE

HEADS UP! EVERYTHING REALLY IS BIGGER IN TEXAS

“TIRED” OF LOOKING FOR AN ATV/UTV TIRE DISTRIBUTOR?

In the wake of MTA exiting the space, many southern tier dealers have been cast adrift… but your ship has come in.

Legacy Distributing is a wholesale distributor of powersports tires & accessories. The company’s ownership has more than 50 years combined experience in the industry.

“This company was formed with the belief that our customers and employees come first and everything else will take care of itself,” explains Kevin Kilgore. “Though our company is young, we believe that our deep-seated roots and knowledge of the industry will allow us to provide the highest degree of customer service in the industry. Period.”

Specializing in the Side-by-Side and ATV sectors, Kilgore adds, “Our goal is to have the most knowledgeable staff & most consistent inventory giving our dealers the best and easiest experience possible; all while supplying demanded products at the best price possible.”

If this sounds like the kind of supplier you would like to be working with, give them a call: Order line: 318-608-4590 Toll free: 800-304-0051 Fax: 318-545-5588 legacydistributing.com https://www.instagram.com/legacydistributing https://www.facebook.com/LegacyDistributing

With over 100,000 cubic feet of space, Quin Design’s new Dallas-based HQ features a design studio, prototyping workshop, showroom space and more. Doors don’t actually open until March at which time Quin Helmets will demonstrate their Arc Chip and IntelliQuin Smart Safety Technology at the new global design center.

Although Quin Design has been servicing the global riding community during the past three years most Americans haven’t experienced their industry-leading technical helmet products that feature integrated BlueTooth, Crash Detection and an S.O.S. beacon, paired with a companion app.

Quin is now readying for U.S. dealer-direct distribution and sales. Industry veteran Tim Calhoun is currently setting up dealers nationwide and actively building an outside sales force to bring Quin Helmets to consumers in North America.

But why Dallas? “We have been looking for a location that both has roots in the motorcycle community and offered architecture that allows us to build an elegant, open format design center,” explains Ani Surabhi, CEO and Chief Designer. “With AMS Ducati Dallas, The Dallas Dainese Store, and HAAS Moto Museum all located within a stone’s throw of our building, we feel like we have found the perfect location for our new global design center.”

If you are a dealer interested in more information about Quin Design products, e-mail dealers@quin.design. If you are an outside sales professional with interest in representing the growing line of Quin smart helmets, you can contact them directly by e-mailing sales@quin. design or see more here: https://quintessential.design/

FEBRUARY 2020

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END OF THE ROAD FOR MCN

End of the road for Motorcycle Consumer News? The 50+ year-old, ad-free motorcycle magazine has been “dissolved” according to a statement from parent Lumina Media, LLC:

“Please be advised that the Publisher of Motorcycle Consumer News magazines, Lumina Media, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company will be dissolved by written resolution of the sole manager and all members of the Company, effective as of February 1, 2020. Effective as of the Dissolution Date, the Company will cease its business operations and shall continue for the sole purpose of winding up its business affairs. The last publication of Motorcycle Consumer News was distributed on January 17, 2020.

Please be further advised that the Company has insufficient assets to satisfy all of its liabilities. Upon the conclusion of the wind-up process, creditors will receive a pro rata distribution of available assets, if any, to satisfy claims submitted by the March 9, 2020 deadline.

See the full letter here: https://www.dealernews.com/Home/post/ end-of-the-road-for-motorcycle-consumernews/2020-02-01

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NORTON INTO RECEIVERSHIP

Norton Motorcycles went into administration as last-minute attempts to save the business failed to secure needed financial backing needed. Cash flow concerns almost caused the venerated British brand to fail back in 2012 just four years after businessman Stuart Garner bought the rights from Kenny Dreer.

Founded in 1898 by James Lansdowne Norton, the first Norton Motorcycle appeared in 1902, and five years later won the twin-cylinder class at the very first Isle of Man TT races. Fast forward through two World Wars, nearly 100 TT victories, and the collapse of the British bike industry, onto American Kenny Dreer, and ultimately to Garner who took the Norton name back to Britain in 2008.

Despite Grarner’s stated goal “I want it to be a proper bike firm producing niche motorcycles,” critical mass remained elusive. Garner’s commitment to setting up a largely UK supply chain also nearly sank the firm’s return, according to the UK press.

Norton rolled out their V4 SS and RR in 2016, with first bikes being delivered to owners in 2019. The 650cc parallel-twin Atlas Nomad and Ranger were revealed in 2018, with the model now almost production ready at the point of the business being placed in administration on January 29, 2020.

Hope may spring eternal, but Garner has disappeared and no buyer appears to be ready to bail Norton out of administration. Interestingly the crew continued whistling past the graveyard right up to the bitter end, posting PR about swingarm technology as recently as January 9th.

Brought To You By MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com

Promoting from within: Long-time Fox guy and former Scorpion Director Of Sales & Marketing Jayson Wickenkamp has been promoted to Vice President Of Merchandising at Fox Racing. After Scorpion and a stint as Business Unit Director for SHIFT MX, Wickenkamp was Fox Racing’s Global Category Director - MX for the past five years. Wickenkamp paid his dues as a road rep for Klim and other brands before going corporate. Despite more than a decade of doing it, he says he is still “passionate about progress, culture, and creating value through data driven decisions, cross-functional alignment, and talent development.”

Long-time Cycle World backstop managing editor Matthew Miles has left the building. “Tuesday, February 4 was my final day at Cycle World. I enjoyed a 29-year run and learned more than I could have imagined, all the while watching the motorcycle industry charge headlong through one of its greatest growth periods.”

There was that unprecedented run of 13 straight years of double-digit growth the industry enjoyed before

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the crash of 2008… remember that? “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity David Edwards gave me in 1991, the years of mentoring provided by colleagues Paul Dean and Kevin Cameron, and the countless friendships made along the way. I traveled the world testing motorcycles, interviewed industry leaders, engineers, and world champions, and covered more races than I can remember. In short, I lived my dream. Now, it is time to write the next chapter.”

“After 44 years, 11 months and 11 positions in all 3 divisions, mostly motorcycle/ATV by far, I am no longer employed by Suzuki Corporate,” shares Marty Haynes. “My position was eliminated along with 6 or 8 others a couple weeks ago. That job required a good bit of travel, visiting dealers and prospective dealers around the country which I LOVE, and think I’m good at, but some health and surgery issues are in the way of regular air travel, and I’ve been considering retirement anyway... so I made the tough decision to move on.

The company was generous and fair with a severance package, and all is well. Now on to the next chapter... let’s see what God has in store for me. I’ve already had three calls from different friends wanting me to get involved... increased activity in Kairos Prison Ministry, increased activity with the Council On Aging, PR with MARS Drone Parachute Recovery Systems... hmmm, we shall see. Doors are opening.”

Damon Motorcycles added former Alta Motorcycles hard charger Derek Dorresteyn to head up operations and powertrain development. As the upstart Canadian company’s COO, he will be charged with ensuring performance dominance.

An electric powertrain veteran, Dorresteyn led the engineering and manufacturing teams at Alta from 2008 – 2018. His vision was key to Alta’s podium finishes against ICE motorcycles. “For electric motorcycles to go mainstream, they have to outperform their ICE counterparts,” he claims. “By marrying all-electric high performance with rider aids like CoPilot and Shift, Damon will redefine the motorcycling experience.”

Dorresteyn has a wealth of knowledge and experience with lithium ion battery design, high voltage systems, power dense motors and high performance chassis systems.

After five years heading up operations as President of Royal Enfield North America (including Canada) and more recently the Latin American markets, Rod Copes has decided to pursue opportunities outside of Royal Enfield. After a 20+ year career with Harley-Davidson, Copes joined Continued on page 18

Brought To You By MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com Continued from page 16

RENA in July 2014 and laid the foundation in building RE North American operations and then subsequently for the entire Americas Region, which has shown great results. He played a vital role in assessing the business challenge for RE in a key market by creating a compelling vision and direction, developed supportive strategies and executed with focus. “We wish him success in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions to the organization,” says Interim head Krishnan Ramaswamy, Head of Finance, Americas. “A strong team is in place and it will build on this robust foundation, and take the business forward. Royal Enfield has grown significantly in the America’s region over the past few years and we expect this growth to continue.” Ramaswamy adds the company is actively searching for Rod’s replacement. This change is effective February 28, 2020.

Just in time to spend his second week on the job at Parts Unlimited’s NVP in Louisville, Andy Gordon joined the team. Once he returns from the trade show in Kentucky, Gordon will be calling on dealers in the Northeast region. His territory includes the New York, Vermont and southern Massachusetts area. An avid street motorcycle and ATV rider, he also has previous experience in sales and parts on the dealership level. Outside of riding, Gordon enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking and spending time with family.

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President of Business Development, reporting directly to CEO Rick Haas. In his new role, he will be responsible for exploring new business opportunities for all commercial products, including ROXOR, and commercial variants to be built off the USPS delivery truck platform. He will also oversee export operations.

Also getting a similar trial by fire at NVP was another new road rep, Todd Ogden. Parts Unlimited’s newest sales rep for the Northeast region adjacent to Andy Gordon’s area, Ogden will be covering dealers in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Ogden’s riding experience includes everything from racing ATVs to trail riding on his latest bike, a KTM 1190 Adventure.

His prior industry experience includes working P&A on the dealership level.

In addition to racing/riding, he recently took up wake-boarding.

ROXOR on a roll!

Parent company Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) announces several personnel changes in its management team in order to support the growing business for the ROXOR brand of off-road vehicles.

As part of this effort, Luc De Gaspe Beaubien has been named Vice-

Replacing Luc De Gaspe Beaubien to lead the ROXOR sales team and set strategies is newly-appointed VicePresident Sales & Service, Justin Prann. Formerly Director of After Sales Service and Administration, Prann will now be responsible for managing the ongoing sales and service business for ROXOR and future products. He brings a wealth of experience to the role having managed his own dealership as well as working various management sales and service roles in his career.

Jeff Brunson remains in his role as Director of ROXOR Sales as he plans his transition to retirement.

Brunson brings a great deal of experience is sales management and dealer development and will remain on board in a consulting role helping guide the ROXOR business plan and execution.

Bill Siddall moves from his role overseeing the USPS program for MANA to lead business development for ROXOR government and military opportunities. “We continue to evolve our ROXOR brand since its introduction in 2018 and are ready to capitalize on broader business segments as we enter 2020,”

Chris Peterman

explains Rick Haas, CEO for Mahindra Automotive North America. “In order to provide maximum support to our dealer network as well as grow the business accordingly we are expanding our fleet and commercial team as well as focusing on larger opportunities to sustain this growth.”

E D A C E D OVER A I N E S S

IN BUS

velopers of Original De RTS GPS SECURITY O POWERSP

Chip Humitz

As the company builds plans to capitalize on the capability of the ROXOR product in the commercial, fleet and government sectors, Chris Peterman has been hired as Director, Commercial Sales. Meanwhile Chip Humitz has been hired as Director of Commercial Marketing. Both bring a wealth of sales and commercial marketing experience to the existing team.

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83 888.811.38om SA.c FindItNowU FEBRUARY 2020

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HONDA OF COVINGTON POWERSPORTS

Powerhouse Player Born On The Bayou

By Robin Hartfiel

W

hen we first shared a shot of a brand new Talon with giant tires and wheels on Social Media channels, it was immediately met with confusion, derision and outright scorn. Seems the peanut gallery just didn’t get it, but that is just fine by the folks at Honda of Covington Powersports. They are still laughing all the way to the bank and that first sale was to a woman who drove more than three hours to reach the dealership in Louisiana. Already a top performer on the ATV side, embracing the Talon platform has put this shop on top!

By knowing its customers and being willing to take chances and do things a little differently, GM/Managing Partner Laurie McCants has propelled her Honda-only operation to #1 in the state and has even climbed up to #6 in the nation at times. Not bad for a shop down in the bayou (well, Abita Springs, Baton Rouge, Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish and Slidell, to be exact). Given the growing number of women riders, it is great to see the store joins the ranks of womenrun dealerships (two of the original Dealernews Top 100 Grand Prize dealerships were owned and operated by great female business people, but 25+ years later, female dealer principals are still a rarity). Laurie loves a challenge as much as she loves the industry.

Already the Managing Partner/GM of a successful Honda automotive dealership, Laurie was looking to become a Powerhouse Dealer on the powersports side, but the franchise for the area was already locked up. “I had been trying to buy the local Honda dealership for a while and

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had just about given up when they actually called me on my birthday in 2013 ready to sell,” she recollects. “I knew the synergies between Honda cars and Honda Powersports with new facilities side by side wasn’t very common and I would be representing the brand 100%. The store has remained #1 in the state and has climbed up to #6 in the nation at times.”

It wasn’t exactly that easy, though. After buying out the existing operation, McCants began assembling her team and learning the differences between powersports and the automobile business first hand. This learning process took place in the dealership’s former location as the purposebuilt Powerhouse store was being built adjacent to Honda of Covington cars in 2014.

GM/Managing Partner Laurie McCants

FAMILY AFFAIR “I do remember having small Honda dirtbikes as a child, but once my older brother had a serious accident requiring many stitches, they were all sold!” Despite this setback, Laurie is back with the goal of treating customers, and staff, like family. Although he may be related, Assistant Manager Kyle Harrington has earned his stripes on his own merit and passion for powersports. “Kyle is my nephew and one of our first employees going back to 2013. He had always enjoyed ATVs and dirtbikes and is a walking encyclopedia of all things off road.” He also heads up the sales team.

Michelle Zemlik was recruited from the mortgage business and started as a Sales Manager with the next step being the dealership’s Finance Director. Under Michelle’s guidance, the store earned its first Council of Excellence honors from Honda in 2014… and continued its win streak every year since! “This achievement has been awarded to our F&I team for being outstanding providers of financial service to our customers,” she says. “Only 137 Honda Powersports dealerships received this award out of more than 1,000 participants. This is an incredible testament to our dedication to exceptional customer service.”

Operations Manager Jason Wilson had previous powersports experience running a dealership in nearby Hammond. “He was a natural fit to run the store as Operations Manager and is very knowledgeable in all departments… he is a true asset.

In fact, all of our managers are above average, resulting in almost no turnover and a great work environment.”

In addition to earning repeated Circle Of Excellence honors, the Honda Environmental Leadership Award in the trophy case is kind of a big deal! Having just toured the Honda Heritage Center back in Ohio during AIMExpo, we saw firsthand just how important things like this were to Mr. Honda back in the day... and to Honda senior management to this day!

“The Honda Environmental Leadership Award was presented to us a few years ago. It was a lofty, but an achievable goal, so we chased fiercely, although the new building had already been completed. We continue to maintain the maximum environmental effort including all LED lighting, etc. as outlined in the Leadership Award criteria.” It doesn’t go unnoticed.

In fact, while we were conducting this interview, Honda VP Chuck Boderman dropped in for a personal visit with Laurie and the Covington team.

TALL TALONS As mentioned, Honda of Covington was an early adapter of the Talon and were invited to participate in the very first Talon Experiential event in Texas. So, what is the secret sauce that makes a Covington Tall Tire Talon so hot? “Kyle and our Parts & Accessories Manager Tim Buechele are huge accessory guys and I know they love making them look really aggressive! They make it a point to get very personal with the customers to evaluate their wants and needs,” she explains.

“While there is nothing like the fit and finish of Honda’s growing line of accessories, there will always be additional

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Continued from page 21

components our customers need to make their dream machine a reality,” she concedes. “We have worked hard to forge strong relationships with industry leaders like Wheel Pros, Pro Box, Strongmade, Super ATV and Legacy Distributing. The key is being aware of a competitive marketplace, knowing what Internet pricing is and having the products that the customers seek in stock.”

“Unlike the Internet, we offer quality and value, a professionally trained staff and we will be here long after the sale. Sales, Parts and Service work as a team as all will reap benefits from the sale.” Team work not only makes the dream work, it was enough to entice a dyed in the wool Harley guy to check out the power of dreams at Honda.

“I’ve been employed in the powersports industry for nearly 30 years, some 20 with a HD dealer and now 6 happy years with Honda,” says Parts Manager & Service Manager Tim Buechele. “Here at HOCP we are very conscientious of holding costs/overhead and thanks to great service from our OEM & aftermarket vendors, our turns are more than double the national average. The service department, much like sales, stays busy all 12 months per year.”

What is that voodoo that they do down on the bayou? “First, our geographic location lends itself to a true 12-month riding

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season. We are within 90 minutes of four or five of the South’s best Mud Riding Parks! Then you might factor in some large agrarian communities to our North and into Mississippi.

The icing on the cake is the fact Louisiana is known as “the Sportsman’s Paradise” thus we sell many ATVs and Pioneers to the locals for hunting, fishing and trailblazing.”

LIVING THE DREAM Even though they are a Honda-exclusive new unit operation, the store won’t walk away from any trade in/trade up opportunity. “We take in all makes and models, but we are very selective on what we choose to keep and resale… the rest go out via NPA or other local auctions.”

The formula works. “Honestly, business is great,” affirms McCants. “We are experiencing continued growth and amazing profitability.” But nothing is perfect, even with the dream team and year-round market. “We are great at selling all ATVs and SXS models, but really need to find a way to get more volume from motorcycle lines.”

To make sure they continue the outreach to the motorcycle market, Covington Honda has developed a marketing plan to get the word out. “Mostly all digital right now, although we have used radio and TV successfully,” she notes. “We also use Cycle Trader as one source of print advertising.”

Taking note of trends is also critical to the plan. “Trends are toward diversity within other brands to add to the Honda product is something we pay attention to. Simple math would require this in order to grow as a locally owned business and to get to that next level. Our Honda dealership is always looking for new ways to work with, get involved with, and give back to our local community. Whether you visit our dealership location or just browse online, we’re always happy to have you.”

Any advice to share with fellow dealers? McCants offers two bits worth: “Never miss a deal. Hire for character and train for skill.”

Words to live by, even if you aren’t down on the bayou.

152 Holiday Square Blvd.

Covington, LA 70433 Phone: (985) 892-9730

www.hondaofcovingtonpowersports.com

Dealernews Research

By Dr. Paul Leinberger

MEGA-TRENDS CONTINUE Moving From “Me” To “We”

O

ver a year ago, my December 2018 column (“There Is Change In The Air”), highlighted the importance of getting serious in our marketing to Millennials. They are now the largest generation in the workplace with nearly 4 trillion dollars of spending power – yes, that’s trillion with a “T”. Then a year later, my December 2019 column (“2020 Consumer Trends”) talked about “sustainability now” as one of the four mega-trends to watch in the year ahead.

Now comes word that the fastest growing trend in retail is re-sale, growing an astonishing 21 times faster than conventional retail (Accenture, January 2020).

Re-sale is being driven by Millennials and it is one manifestation of the “sustainability now” mega-trend.

If you want to drive Millennial traffic and ride the wave of the “sustainability now” mega-trend, it is important to understand the forces driving the growth of re-sale.

Americans are beginning to reassess how they view themselves and their place in the world. We are starting to question what it means to be consumers and role of work in our lives.

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Americans, more than people of other cultures, have always defined themselves by what they do and what they own. Think about what happens when you first meet someone. How long does it take before you ask them or they ask you: “So, what do you do for a living?” It is one of the first questions we ask.

In many instances we don’t even have to ask. We happily volunteer the information. It is how we signal who we are and what we stand for. As Americans, we have long defined ourselves by what we do for a living, what we own, where we shop, what we drive (and ride), what we wear and what we eat. We have never questioned our role as consumers or the importance of our work as a defining characteristic of our identity.

Yet, that is exactly what is happening today. Americans have begun to question the notion that unending consumerism is a good thing. More is better than less and at the heart of a healthy economic system is constant growth – growth without limits. We have begun to recognize that our consumer habits have consequences that go beyond ourselves. For example, the plastic containers we buy end up polluting our oceans; when we travel by air, aircraft CO2 emissions have a damaging impact on the environment and climate change is now an urgent concern. We have begun to realize that we need to take responsibility for our consumer purchase decisions. It is no longer just about “me”; we need to take into account the impact on “we”.

This recognition has led to the rise of so-called “conscious consumers.” Conscious consumers continue to consume, but they do so recognizing that there are trade-offs and that less consuming is better than more. Conscious consumers also buy from companies that seek to do minimal harm to the planet.

A good example of re-commerce – as it has come to be called – is Patagonia’s Worn Wear line of clothing. Worn Wear is Patagonia’s used clothing business, created “because the best thing we can do for the planet is cut down on consumption and get more use out of stuff we already own. Keeping clothing in use just nine extra months can reduce the related carbon, water and waste footprints by 20% – 30%.” In 2019, Worn Wear saw 40% growth in revenue, profitability and customers that were on average 10 years younger than typical Patagonia customers.

Patagonia is drawing in Millennials and Generation Z and riding the “sustainability now” mega-trend.

What is the important lesson here? If you want to thrive in 2020 and draw in the customer base you know you need to attract in order to keep your business healthy (Millennials and older members of Generation Z), you need to rethink your idea of used bikes. Take that used bike from the back of the shop and put it in your front window. Get out of the used bike business and into the re-commerce business.

Instead of saying to your customer: “If you don’t have enough money for a new bike, I have some good used bikes,” say instead: “We care about the environment and that is why we support a strong re-commerce program.”

Make repairing, reselling, upcycling and recycling a major part of your business.

Consumers today, especially younger consumers, are loyal to companies and brands that make high quality and durable products and also make it easy for their customers to keep them in use. In the future of the Powersports business, the stores that win will be the ones that offer resell and re-commerce programs.

A perennial keynote speaker for the Motorcycle Industry Council's annual Communications Symposium, Dr. Paul Leinberger has become the powersports industry's de facto futurist/strategist. Dr. Leinberger is an expert in market/brand strategy and research with more than two decades of social trend forecasting, market strategy and strategic planning. Prior to joining TTD, he was Senior VP of GfK NOP, where he ran the company’s flagship consumer trend services, Roper Reports, as well as the company’s groundbreaking Global Visual Database. His client list reads like a Who’s Who of corporate America: Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Disney, Nordstrom, Microsoft, Levi Strauss, E.& J. Gallo Winery and Toyota, among many others. Prior to his global responsibilities at GfK NOP, Dr. Leinberger was the Corporate Manager in the Product Planning and Market Strategy department at Nissan North America. Dr. Leinberger holds a Ph.D. in organizational and social psychology and a Masters of Urban Planning (Highest Honors). He lives in Irvine, California, and his work can be seen at www.dennyleinbergerstrategy.com

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Dealernews Research

By Lenny Sims

BY THE BOOK

NADAguides Market Insights Power The Market Values

A

s we entered Q4, the market for used motorcycles was relatively hot by recent standards. However the side by side outlook remained mixed. We remain optimistic that the flood on new sport SxS introduced during the past six months will drive pre-owned action throughout the spring and summer.

As for the current state of the SxS market, the utility segment continues to fall behind the previous two years, currently averaging 3.3% behind 2018. Sport UTVs had a relatively healthy summer, almost catching up to yearprior pricing. This segment is now essentially at parity with 2018 in terms of average pricing.

Looking at motorcycle values, cruisers continued to perform strongly, bringing 4.1% more money in the first 10 months of 2019 compared to the same period of 2018.

Sportbikes edged out year-prior results in the most recent period, with this segment bringing 4% more money yearto-date.

Looking forward, even though it is an election year, employment figures remain extremely strong and average wages continue to tick upward. Macroeconomic data is increasingly mixed, but demand for motorcycles and powersports should remain consistent into early 2020.

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We maintain that as long as employment figures remain strong and average wages continue to tick upward.

Because of the new models and affordable late models. demand for certain product should remain consistent in the near term.

About NADAguides.com NADAguides.com, the largest publisher of the most market-reflective vehicle pricing and information available for new and used cars, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs and manufactured homes, offers in-depth shopping and research tools including a broad range of data, products and service and informational articles as well as tips and advice. NADAguides. com also produces electronic products, mobile applications, raw data, web services, web-syndicated products and print guidebooks. NADAguides.com is operated by National Appraisal Guides, Inc., a division of J.D. Power.

J.D. Power/NADA Guides, Inc. 3200 Park Center Drive, 13th Floor Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (800) 966-6232 Fax (714) 556-8715 www.nadaguides.com/Motorcycles FEBRUARY 2020

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Dealernews Research

By Don Musick

WHERE’S WALDO? PART II Geographic Data Is No Joke!

M

oving on to the second largest market, the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island CBSA (green outline), Figs 3a and 3b show motorcycle and scooter distribution patterns respectively. Once again, the retail distributions for each product line are markedly different.

Drilling Down While these profiles represent aggregate product line retail for MIC-member OEM dealer networks, it’s also informative to examine differences in retail patterns at the individual dealer level. In another analysis, requisitioned

by Arctic Cat, retail distributions for dealers carrying both ATV and snowmobile product lines were examined.

Instead of heat maps, fig 4a and 4b show Google Earth pin maps of customer locations by product line. While both product line geographic signatures are distinct, the reach of the snowmobile market area is most remarkable.

For those of us who have spent time in snowmobile retail, the notion that a snowmobile customer will drive 500+ miles to save a buck finds validation here. In fact, this analysis was conducted for multiple dealers in both the U.S. and Canada with similar results.

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So, the takeaway is this: individual dealer market areas vary by product line in both geographic distribution and reach.

Only the Facts Ma’am As previously mentioned, OEMs employ a variety of methodologies to determine dealer-assigned market areas. In some cases, dealer markets can be contiguous non-overlapping areas (e.g. Harley-Davidson, John Deere), but in most cases they’re defined at a zip code level based on historical sales. It’s also notable that while most OEMs expect their dealers to satisfy a given percentage of retail demand within their market area, there are examples of dealers being penalized for retailing outside of their assigned territory (e.g. John Deere).

Another consideration is how a dealer market area evolves with time. Demographics change over time, opening new market potential and diminishing others. Do your OEMs revisit your territory periodically or are they set in stone?

Have they shared their methodologies with you?

The first step towards market area self-determination is to get a handle on your own retail history. The next several articles will show you how to logically evaluate your customer drive-time preferences in order to visualize your unique footprint in the market place. As time has become a universal currency shared by all consumers, drive time will be a central focus moving forward.

Figure 3a

Figure 3b

Figure 4a

From his first motorcycles (a Honda S65 and an S90) when he was 16 to 50 years later, Don Musick has never stopped twisting the throttle.

Although his accomplishments in the research arena have surpassed his MX career Don has over 25 years experience with major manufacturers in the Powersports and Automotive industries specializing in e-business solutions for retail distribution networks. His solution portfolio includes the development and implementation of manufacturer/ dealer extranets, consumer-direct commerce portals, manufacturer/ dealer e-channel integrations as well as development of web-based sales force automation tools. For most of his career, Don has been fascinated (his wife would say obsessed) with geographic market analytics, dealer location planning and sales territory optimization. He founded Genesys Technology Solutions (GenesysTech) http://www.genesystech.com/ to develop new tools and market intelligence products to help manufacturers understand the competitive landscape of their industries, recognize opportunities and grow their businesses. A Spartan to the core, Don earned a B.S. in Physiology and PhD in Biochemistry from Michigan State University.

Contact: dmusick@genesystech.com

FEBRUARY 2020 Figure 4b

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RIDE FOR FREEDOM Fellow Dealers, Many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of our customers have participated in the 32 year tradition of Rolling Thunder.

While Rolling Thunder is no longer in Washington, D.C., it lives on nationally.

And no place more so than 5.24.2020 in Columbus, Ohio.

Our industry depends on its significant “gatherings� being sustained.

(Rolling Thunder; Sturgis; Daytona, etc.).

SUNDAY 5.24.2020

DEMONSTRATION Columbus, and it’s National Veterans Memorial & Museum welcome the Rolling Thunder Ohio Freedom Ride 2020. It will be the perfect manifestation that Americans, and particularly motorcyclists, will NEVER FORGET. We ask for your help. Please share information about the demonstration in your newsletters, social media and/or at point of sale. Include the link to our website below. Join our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter & re-share our content. Join us, ride to Columbus in May!

www.rollingthunderohio.com

work on the engine, and Mr. Honda, I don’t want to over work your engine. (Buraunīpointo, that’s Japanese for brownie point).

But, with the 50 State Kit, it’s not a race bike, it’s too heavy. It’s not a Dual Sport bike because it can’t cruise down the road at 60mph. I’m so confused, yet still impressed. With a REAL race bike, I’d strip off the 50 State Kit to save weight and add power, or just buy the 450X in the first place. Here’s an idea to sell these bikes. Get National Enduro to add a class for 50 State legal bikes. Create the niche this bike is built for.

Honda proves again they can build a wonderful motorcycle.

But I’m thinking we are still fighting a language barrier. What I think happened was... You have this big mirrored glass wall with Honda Marketing people from 150 countries and languages. On the other side of the glass is a coffee can where potential customers write down what they want Honda to build, and on this day somebody suggested “I want a race bike I can ride to the dispensary!”

Presto! Honda nailed it! They built an outstanding bike, fit and finish, attention to detail, smooth and sexy. Remember, I just toured a Honda manufacturing facility and my mind is still trying to wrap it all in. Honda built this one amazing bike, but more impressive, is they built the assembly line and tooling and organized an army of people to build this amazing bike.

After seeing the factory, I don’t just see a 450L when I look at it, I see the whole assembly line and the hundreds of people, workers, counters, managers, designers, marketers all the way back to that stupid coffee can where some hillbilly is stuffing chits of paper wishing for a race bike with a head light.

Puresuto! (that’s Japanese for Presto!)

RODE TESTING HONDA’S 2020 CRF 450L It’s A Great Bike, But…

By Charlie Williams

I

magine the responsibility on my shoulders. The Experiential Marketing team for Honda called me. A few weeks later Honda sent me home with a new 2020 Honda CRF 450L. How am I going to ruin this opportunity? How will I ultimately disappoint Mr. Honda? Wreck it, scar it, destroy it, disassemble it. I could fill a complete computer with scenarios ending with Mr. Honda being mad at me. That story will come out soon enough and I’ll share it, but for now, it’s all good.

I’ll start off by proclaiming the 450L is a great bike! It’s a great off-road bike, that happens to have the 50 State Legal kit on it.

Strong head light, quiet exhaust, reflectors and turn signals, switches and toggles. All that stuff that typically ruins a race bike is on the 450L, yet it remains a great bike. But not perfect, sorry Mr. Honda.

All the stuff that makes it a great dirtbike also make it a bad street bike. Yes, it’ll run 70 screaming miles an hour, but it’s happy at about 42-45 mph. Anything over 45 mph is too much

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For my next outing on my quest to destroy a Honda, I entered the 74th Annual Treaty City Enduro in Western Ohio. For this event, I did make some changes, I took off the stock street/ dirt tires and installed a set of Motoz knobbies. I also added a set of hand guards but that’s all the changes I’ve done. I still haven’t set the sag… I haven’t turned one clicker, or so much as adjusted a lever in any direction.

Treaty City Enduro is an old-fashioned time keeping Enduro. I lined up on row 73, way in the back and out of the way. By row 73, the trail is as wide as it’s going to get and when the bike you are riding is 16.5 inches wide at the rear turn signals, a wide trail is good. My friend Cory Maryan was on row 73 with me and he claimed to know how to time keep: “It’s really pretty easy, it’s all 3,6,9. Or was it 4,8,12?” Cory wandered off doing math in his head. I was left unsure.

I don’t dare say what I think this bike needs, what if they listened, stopped the assembly monster and implemented my ideas? King & Queen Chopper Seat! Presto! How about 60 mph cruising speed? How about passenger pegs so I can at least TELL my wife she is welcome to go?

The first time I rode the bike was at the Stoney Lonesome National Dual Sport in Southern Indiana. Single track trail with gravel connector roads. Perfect element for this bike. Even with the stock dual purpose tires it got along very nicely. There were two long sections, 12 or 15 miles each, and I rode them both fairly hard without stopping. Normally I’d be stopping to adjust something, or spin the suspension clickers or just complain and find fault. Nope, nothing to adjust, just ride.

Turns out Cory did know how to time keep and hunt checks and we zeroed all the IN checks. But late in the day, Cory and I were riding along ahead of schedule, hunting another check when a branch grabbed my Moose riding jacket and pulled me off the back of the bike, I didn’t fall, but the bike ran off into a tree and broke one of the little round reflectors. Sorry Mr. Honda.

I picked the bike up, it didn’t feel street legal heavy. But the bike would not start... I could see spectators ahead so I pushed the bike along the trail and asked if they had any gas. They went from truck to truck looking for a gas can, but none was found. After a while, I tried starting the bike again and presto, it fired up. See, this 50 State Legal bike has a tip over switch.

Continued on page 36

My next adventure with the bike was the Muddobbers National Enduro in Eastern Indiana. I didn’t race, I’m a club member here so I helped work a check, but I got to ride plenty of trail, before the event on smooth trail and after the event on beat up rough trail. The suspension is really good and again this trip I didn’t adjust a thing. Think about getting on a brand new bike and not adjusting anything… it’s that good!

While I was at the National Enduro, KTM and Beta were both hosting their Demo Ride Days, so I lined up and rode the Beta 450 and the KTM 450. The Beta was pretty good, it was faster and lighter than the Honda, but its suspension was unbalanced, the front end rode too high and there was a list of adjustments I would have to make. That’s typical for any new bike and the Beta was a great handling bike, I only mention this because the Honda needed NO adjustment.

Next, I rode the KTM 450 XC which is what Kailub Russell starts out with. OMG! this bike is fast as lightning! Way too powerful for tight woods work. I spent my whole demo lap correcting for mistakes I’d made with the throttle, pulling the bike backwards out of the weeds and generally cussing big four strokes. In my hands, it’s a dangerous tool.

Of the three, I’d take the Honda no question. I’d take the Beta for a race bike once I got it dialed in and the KTM makes me want to buy a 125. I’m sorry but in my hands, the KTM 450 is way too much for me, it’s the 28 oz waffle-headed steel shank framing hammer of bikes! Sure, it will drive a 16-penny nail in two hits, but it will also remove your finger and thumb if you make a mistake.

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Continued from page 35

When you drop it, you have to turn off the key and turn it back on before it will start. Ahhh, that would have been good information earlier, like in one of the dozen safety stickers on the bike, that I probably didn’t read anyhow...

The bike fired up and I took off! Cory had ridden ahead and burnt the next check by 3 minutes! That means he had gotten there 3 minutes ahead of schedule, that’s 2 points for the first minute and 5 points per minute for the next two for a score of 12. I arrived 2 minutes late for a score of 2. Talk about making a positive out of a negative, falling off my bike saved me 10 points! Haha, this is one of those things that can only happen at a good old timekeeping Enduro.

you picture what a Pipe Wrench does to an aluminum nut?

Even I know not to do that. So, I tried three C-clamps and a tire iron, but that didn’t work. I had unbolted the bench vice and was trying to get it tightened on the axle when wife started hitting me with a broom.

“Don’t do that you idiot!”

“Why come?”

“You’re going to ruin it!”

“But I’ve got to save this knobby!”

“That knobby is ruined, you did burn out’s in the driveway until it’s showing cord!”

“Well, I’ve got to destroy the evidence!”

“By destroying the axle nut!?”

The vice thing didn’t work, it fell on my toe, but the cold kept it from hurting and that nails been bad since the Chillicothe Enduro in 1983. So, I put my mind powers to it and tried wrapping tape around the nut to protect it from the pipe wrench. Well, that didn’t work either and now the axle nut has some scratches. Well, maybe more than scratches, light gouges? Deep gouges? No worries, they’ll buff, sand, grind right out.

Hours later, after much math and abacus abuse, the scores were posted. I wound up in third place out of eleven 60+ year old men. Two amazing facts, one, eleven 60-year old men started and finished the event. Two, I won a trophy on a 50 State Legal stock motorcycle! I compared my score to my friends and I my score was right with the guy’s I usually ride with. Not too shabby.

So, in closing, the Honda 450L is an amazing bike, where does it fit? That’s to be determined. Can I see myself successfully handing this bike back to Mr. Honda? Oh, I’m trying not to tear it up, but just yesterday I took it out for a spin around the block and had it sideways on the pavement doing wheelies and jumping curbs. The inner kindergartener in me wants to take it apart to see the quality, to see what makes it so good.

Do I return it in boxes? Who knows what fate is in store for this bike, but before I got it, the Honda 450L was a very good bike.

Skip ahead a couple of weeks, I let this article simmer and sure enough, the ending came. Honda sent me an e-mail saying they wanted to pick up the bike over the holidays. I didn’t reply. But I got it in my head I needed to remove the knobby tires and replace them with the stock Dual Sport tires. The front was a pretty easy deal, the bike doesn’t come with rim locks and I had pulled the valve stems out at the Enduro, so both tires were flat.

The back tire became another story... I keep my mini barn at the current outdoor ambient temperature of 4°. Blood freezes midair and can be swept out at the end of the project. The only wrench I have that will fit the 32mm axle is a Pipe Wrench. Can

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I’m at the bench grinder trying to smooth out a horribly gouged up aluminum nut. I’ve successfully spun threaded it over the knuckle on my finger and while it’s turning blue I’m racing to unthread it. The wife walks in again, she sees what I’m doing and helps me with the last dozen or so turns. I’m staring at my spiral sliced finger, drips of blood freeze and flutter to the ground looking like rose petals, lots of rose petals.

Wife takes the nut away from me and drops it in the trash pile saying, “Just tell them it fell off.”

Ohh the brilliance in her thinking! I swapped the tire out using blood as a lubricant. Axle went in and I proactively tied a flag to warn the next person. I sent Mr Honda a reply: I have your bike ready for pick up, the axle nut mysteriously fell off. (Mr Honda knows this nut is tightened to 22 metric tons and it REQUIRES a 3’ pipe wrench to loosen, yet mine fell off...). You have built an incredible machine, I’m not quite sure what niche it fits into in English, but we’ll figure that out. Build it and they will come!

WHAT THEY SAID

Most offerings lean too heavily one way or the other. This light, nimble one is very good off-road but uncomfortable on the street. This solid, stable one is great on the street but clumsy in the dirt. With the CRF450L, Honda has split the difference right down the middle and built a 50-50 machine that, unique among dual-sport motorcycles, is capable in exactly equal parts of riding the street and tackling the rough stuff.H onda is selling the 450L as a “trail to trail” motorcycle, allowing the dualsport rider to go adventuring freely. Unlike the X bikes, it’s street legal and can be ridden on the roads and highways. That creates easier access to OHV parks, national parks, trail systems and other riding areas that would otherwise require a pickup ruck or trailer to enjoy. ~ Charles Fleming Los Angeles Times Having taken the dual-sport world by storm since its debut last year, the road-legal CRF450L expands customers’ off-road possibilities by enabling access to the best riding trails on public lands, even when that means connecting them via asphalt roads. Based on the CRF450R, the CRF450L is a performance off-road machine, but it also has the comfort and durability to make riding it and owning it a pleasure in the long run. Already armed with features like a titanium fuel tank, six-speed transmission and LED lighting, the CRF450L gets new graphics for 2020. ~ Simon Cudby Upshift If you’re all about that trail-life, but aren’t necessarily feeling the trailer-life aspect of it, then Honda’s new CRF450L was built with you in mind. The “L” is based on the CRF450R, and was designed as a sister-bike to the 450X of the same family. It’s a street-legal machine with mirrors and lights that’ll let you connect the dots between your favorite trails via blacktop. As for the brown top, a 449 cc plant generates the power with a light-pull clutch and knobbies to keep it under control. It’s more than just an off-roader with a rag holder! ~ TJ Hinton TopSpeed The Honda CRF450L is perfect for the rider looking to ride easier trails, amazing two-track and epic dirt roads. It is more comfortable sitting down than other bikes, and, in our testing, it will give you a 75-80 miles of range at a conservative pace. But, in the big picture, we think Honda did an excellent job with its first hard-core, fullperformance dual-sport bike. Sure, it might not be perfect, but, in our opinion— and mine—Honda took a giant leap forward by just building this motorcycle. And not only did they do that, they built a damn good one. Hopefully, Honda will keep updating the L on a yearly, or bi-yearly, basis, just like they do their motocross bikes and their KTM, Husqvarna, Beta, etc. rivals. And, let’s hope that the other Japanese manufacturers follow Honda’s lead. ~ Jesse Ziegler CycleNews

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e

HONDA HEADED TO INDIA?

eBenly Among The Contenders Page 40

CES SHOCKER

Uncrating The Damon Hypercycle

Page 41

MOTOR BIKES

Super 73 Launches New Models Page 74

CURRENTS+

HONDA HEADED TO INDIA

According to the Economic Times of India, Honda is looking to

enter the world’s leading 2-wheeled market. In fact. Many of the major two-wheeler manufacturers are foraying into the electric vehicles space, eyeing its massive potential in a country that sells nearly 20 million two-wheelers each year.

“As far as electric vehicles are concerned, shortly we will be starting our feasibility survey by getting our existing scooter from China,” said Yadvinder Singh Guleria, SVP marketing and sales at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI). “It may take a year or so to complete the feasibility study,” Guleria said, without specifying the model it was looking to test locally.

Meanwhile Honda has a new eScooter set for the home market starting in April. Billed as a “business e: scooter perfect for everyday delivery services” the BENLY e: Series is equipped with a compact EV system that fits inside an easy-to-handle body size required for scooters used for various types of delivery services.

“Honda will continue to contribute to the realization of a quieter and cleaner environment for people’s daily lives by further popularizing environmentally-responsible electric motorcycles and scooters as everyday mobility products in the daily lives of more people,” says the announcement from Honda. However, there are no plans for an eScooter in the 2020 model mix for U.S. dealers.

Honda India busts a Bollywood-style move here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v =ljPRqyK8bhw&feature=emb_logo

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CIVILIZED CARGO CRUISER?

Zachary Schieffelin was working at a Vespa dealership in New York which had added e-bikes to the mix. Customers kept asking for ebikes that combined elements of scooters, cargo bikes and cruisers. So he started refining a people mover/cargo carrier concept that was more “civilized” than the shop had to offer.

According to New Atlas, “The Model 1 from Civilized Cycles combines scooter, moped, electric bike and cargo bike into one funky-looking ride. Those integrated panniers lock up to haul 20 liters of cargo inside, or pull out to offer 80 liters of extended carrying capacity.”

Detachable panniers are not exactly a new concept, but Schieffelin wanted to integrate the cargo pods into the actual design. After a series of development sketches, a foam scale mockup was created and presented to potential customers. They gave it the thumbs up and Civilized Cycles was launched.

The first 40 Founders Team models are now in production.

Priced at $5,999 the Founders e-bikes feature 1 year of roadside assistance, 2 years free hardware and software upgrades and 3 years of complimentary routine service.

Shipping is estimated to start in Q2 2020. https://civilizedcycles.com/pre-order/

UNCRATING DAMON’S ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE

HYPERSPORT

With 9,000+ items already “uncrated,” more than 1.5 million monthly readers and 10 million page views each month, Uncrate is “the leading buyer’s guide for men.” So it was big deal when Uncrate focused on Damon Motorcycles’ Hypersport unveiling at the CES trade show. “Damon is an electric bike that combines the sportbike and standard into a high-performance package with the most advanced tech you can find on the market,” Uncrate told their expanded readership.

“The Hypersport features two electronically-configurable riding positions that move the seat, footpegs, windscreen, and handlebars from tucked-up superbike to upright standard at the touch of a button. Damon’s industry-first AI-enhanced safety system, called CoPilot, uses two cameras and haptic feedback in the handlebars to alert the rider to surrounding traffic conditions. The center display screen can show the view from the front or rear cameras taking the guesswork and danger out of riding.”

Uncrate concludes: “But if all that isn’t enough to sway potential buyers, the performance specs will — 200 horsepower, 200 miles of range, and a top speed of 200 MPH — all solid specs that compare to ICE bikes, along with a price under $25,000.” https://uncrate.com/damon-hypersport-electricmotorcycle/

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN APE GETS SHOCKED?

Ever see the Piaggio APE delivery three-wheelers popular in Italy for the past 70 years? Berlin-based Elektro Frosch has released a “Big” camper for the forthcoming holidays. Prices for the base EV are said to start around $4,400. The “Pro” camper model with a full cabin enclosure, ceramic heater and full camping kit comes in at $5,500.

New Atlas quips, “The vehicle’s appeal may be as limited as its range, but you’ll be hard-put to find a cheaper brand-new motorhome!” A base-line Big pickup is a $2,850 for use around the job site.

See the electrified APE here: https://www.elektrofrosch-berlin. de/elektrofrosch-modell-camping/#camper-transporter

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SAVE THE DATE

NOrth AMerica’s Most Important Powersports Tradeshow October 1-4, 2020 | Columbus, OHIo

AIMEXPOUSA. com

+

SHOWTIME

DISTRIBUTOR DOINGS IN DFW

Tucker Show Time InTexas Page 44

GOING LIKE 60!

Western Power Sports On A Roll

Page 46

Beyond the network of dealers, brand partners enrolling in Tucker University gain access to Tucker’s sales team.

TuckerU can teach, test. and help graduates retain specialized product information at their own pace.

TuckerU provides direct access to training courses and certifications in one convenient location, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

“We’re excited about this new partnership,” said Rich Maychrich, CEO of Brandecation. “It’s amazing to see the number of brands coming to us knowing they can get plugged into TuckerU. They value the attention of 150+ salespeople and 8,500+ dealers. So, this strategic partnership is a win-win for everyone.” Sobotka adds, “Our goal with this platform is to help our dealers and field sales team have a centralized place to go for education. This is an area of focus in bringing value to our customers,” he claims.

Photos Courtesy Of Dale Spangler

DISTRIBUTOR DOINGS IN DFW Tucker Show Time In Texas

A

trifecta of catalogs packed with new product, an expanded dealer education program and town hall-style meetings with the head wranglers were the hallmarks differentiating the 2020 Tucker Show.

Held once again in the Fort Worth Convention Center, January 21-23, day one marked the beginning of three days of dealer interaction with vendors, pre-scheduled product presentations and educational training seminars throughout the day.

There was a major push for education this go round, both for dealers and Tuckers own reps. In fact, there were three dedicated presentation theaters adjacent to the main show floor. The new format, with its dedicated brand presentation times, is intended to provide each vendor with the opportunity to present products to a dedicated audience of dealers and Tucker sales reps in a semi-private setting… but that was just the first course.

Rich Maychrich of Brandecation announced the launch of “Tucker University powered by Brandecation” on Day 2. The new online learning platform provides dealers and sales staff with direct access to training courses and certifications in one convenient location. “Our dealers tell us education is critical,” stated Taz Sobotka, Senior Director of Marketing for Tucker. “They tell us consumers are more educated than ever when they walk through their door, so it’s our responsibility to help educate the dealer staff. We’re proud to launch TuckerU to help do just that.”

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TuckerU includes valuable brand and product knowledge on powerful brands distributed to powersports dealers across the nation. TuckerU also includes custom training modules on retailing, merchandising, marketing, and other areas. Each of the training courses come with testing and a certification process. Brands currently enrolled in TuckerU include Arai, Metzeler, Bikemaster, QuadBoss,

dealers and customers can now view the digital flipbook version of the catalog online,” says Marketing Content Manager Dale Spangler. Dale also shot the show for folks who couldn’t make it and offered a daily blog despite being sicker than a dog.

“A big thank you goes out to all of the vendors, dealers and powersports media that joined us at this year’s show,” he adds. “We also want to thank the Tucker sales and corporate teams for all of the hard work that went into making this year’s show a success.”

If you missed it, see the 2020 Street Catalog here: http://online.fliphtml5.com/lxnd/ugjv/ Twin Power: http://online.fliphtml5.com/lxnd/mgrp/ DragonFire Racing, Twin Power, ProTaper, Speed and Strength, and Answer… with more to follow.

Tucker used the show to drop their 2020 Street Catalog, Off-Road Catalog and 116-page Twin Power catalog for the V-Twin crowd. “Rather than loading up dealers with the catalogs to lug around for three days at the show

Or do it in the dirt: http://online.fliphtml5.com/lxnd/fdiz/ Want to see what what was on the show floor for yourself?

Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GIoUtT01w Or the daily bog updates starting here: https://www.tucker.com/tucker-show-2020-day-1-recap/

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Over the course of a year, Shoemaker says there were many more conversations. “Then we had physical sit-down gettogethers to go over stuff to make sure it was the right thing for us, the right thing for them, the right thing for our industry.”

Critically, did it make sense for WPS’ dealers? Facilitating the decision was the infrastructure put in place by expansion in California a year and half ago, Boise was just finished last summer; Pennsylvania and Georgia coming on-line (which no one knew about and opened the week before the sales meeting).

Back in September WPS announced the opening of a second warehouse in Pennsylvania, adding an additional 110,000 sq./ ft. of space to house more products while offering improved shipping efficiency. The new facility houses snowplows, other large non-conveyable items and of course, tires. Lots of tires! “Ultimately this move freed up room at the existing Elizabethtown facility giving us a total of 254,000 square feet of warehouse space in PA.”

DISTRIBUTOR DOINGS Western Power Sports Hits 60… And Accelerates!

E

ven though Western Power Sports is celebrating its 60th anniversary of serving dealers this year, the Boise-based distribution giant shows no sign of slowing. Instead, they continue to accelerate faster than ever! This fact was driven home during the annual sales meeting held in the Boise Centre the last week of January, 2020.

WPS added key product lines, expanded operations in Georgia and Philadelphia, brought the heat to house brands like FirePower and FLY… and that was all leading up to their annual sales meeting and rep training in January where they rolled out the really big news, including the addition of Dunlop to their industry leading brands.

“We are genuinely excited to begin this new relationship with WPS,” explained Dunlop’s Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing Mike Buckley. “Craig and his leadership team have done an outstanding job building all their brands. We believe many of the strategies WPS executes align solidly with Dunlop, especially in areas like support for the highest levels of professional racing as witnessed by both our support of Supercross. Distribution is key in our industry and we are excited to give U.S. powersports dealers more options to receive Dunlop tires.”

“Dunlop is an industry recognized brand that fits perfectly within the WPS portfolio,” said WPS CEO Craig Shoemaker.

“Our new partnership continues the tradition of offering our dealer network the best brands in the industry. I am confident our world-class customer service and nationwide delivery system will foster future growth for both Dunlop and WPS dealers across the nation.”

Although Shoemaker had more than enough going on during the WPS presentations, he was gracious with his time, and as candid as always when it came to explaining the Dunlop deal.

“It was about a year ago we discussed the possibility, then they called back wanting to know if there was an interest… long story short, that is what we do. We are a distributor. One thing led to another and the discussions continued, but there was no quick overnight decision,”

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“Having purchased this additional facility in the northeastern United States allows for increased sales growth and distribution in order to service our dealers at a level we expect for many more years in the future,” explained Shoemaker at the time.

“This is our third warehouse addition in 18 months… with more to come soon,” he hinted.

That “more to come” was the new 245,000 sq./ft. warehouse in Midway, Georgia. Scheduled to open in late January, things went live two weeks ahead of schedule, but smack dab in the middle of the chaos of the annual show. “We looked at the available space and it seemed like the timing made sense to bring on a great brand that accounts for almost half of the tire market.”

“I think it is a great opportunity for us to service a bunch of our dealers even better with a line that complements the tires we already have — our Shinkos and our Michelins — and really put a nice package together. It was a quick year, and people didn’t know about but the Dunlop deal had seriously been in the works the past 8-9 months.”

To maintain maximum efficiency, the existing 109,000 square foot warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee, was integrated with the new Georgia location. News of Shoemaker selling the Memphis facility to Chaparral broke just before Boise. “It worked out well for both of us.” Some racking, fork lifts, tired tire mounting stations and palette jacks stayed in Memphis rather than having to pay for dismantling and shipping them to Georgia.

Why is WPS continuing to stay on the gas at a time when the industry’s new unit sales are flat? “Some people still see the glass as half empty but I think our industry is a pretty healthy place to be right now. Our country right now, small businesswise, is succeeding… we know that because we struggle to find employees. Almost everybody I talk to is looking for employees.

Things are going well, people are making more money and they like to buy more toys.”

However he quickly concedes things have certainly changed.

“The market is different, there is no doubt about it. I think for some people if the market is different that means it must be down. There are numbers that are down, but at the end of the day, we have to find out where the business is, adapt to it and go with it.”

Whether it is distributor or dealer, people come and go, which leaves a little bit of room for the next guy. There has been some attrition… there is always going to be some attrition even in the best of times. But we are excited about where things are going, we think there is plenty of potential. We are excited by the new stuff that is coming out. We are excited about the new lines we have to offer, and the existing lines that we have been selling for a long time.”

Since this entire show is a rep training function, he gave the team a shout out. “We are excited about the new sales reps we have brought on the last year… and the ones we are talking to who will come onboard shortly. I think we are building a great sales team — a true sales team! We are not there just to take orders, we are a servicing sales team. We are there to service and to sell, and to teach. It doesn’t do any good to sell something that doesn’t sell out! We try to complete the whole package for our manufacturers, our dealers and ultimately ourselves.”

The new reps, the lines like Dunlop and the new warehouses are just a part of the plan moving forward. “WPS will continue delivering its dealer network with the ultimate in service and speed – all while offering more brands than ever before,” concludes Shoemaker.

WINNING DAKAR

Why Ricky Brabec… And Why Now?

By Scot Harden

H

istory has been made! Whether you’ve followed the sport from a distance or have been deeply involved as I have for more than 40 years, Ricky Brabec’s win at the 2020 Dakar Rally will go down in the record books as one of the greatest accomplishments of any American motorcycle racer ever. Dakar had remained the last unclimbed mountain for America racers — the last unchartered territory that the U.S. had failed to claim victory over as a motorcycling nation — and now it is ours.

Last years’ ever so promising run at the top of the leader board and the subsequent frustration and disappointment that ensued when Ricky suffered mechanical problems near the end are now all but a distant memory. Today is our day to shine as a country, and we have an unassuming, polite, hard-working and respectful young man from Hesperia, California, to thank for it.

I have a unique perspective on what it takes to win a rally race and Dakar in particular. I was the first American to win a North African Raid Rally and led the U.S. KTM Red Bull Dakar effort for three years. I know a little about the sacrifices and risks. I have multiple overall wins at the Baja 1000, ridden numerous other rallies, and have competed in three different ISDEs. So, when I say Ricky’s accomplishment ranks at the top of all American off-road racing accomplishments, I do have some valid points of comparison. I’ve written about America’s history in Rally racing and questioned why we haven’t won the big one.

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Now that we have, you have to ask yourself why now and why Ricky Brabec?

First, like any racing achievement, it came down to the supporting team around Ricky. The deeper you dig, the more you realize Ricky’s victory was an American “team” effort as much as a Honda Factory Rally Team victory.

Sure, Honda has seriously been gunning for a Dakar victory for the past six years now and has certainly paid its dues. Much like KTM in its early attempts to win Dakar, Honda had to go through the school of hard knocks.

After 18 straight years of Dakar domination, no one quite remembers all the years KTM suffered through heartbreak after heartbreak, to lead late in the event only to succumb to technical issues or rider error.

The year 2020 would be the year that Honda finally sorted out the niggling mechanical problems that always seemed to raise their ugly head at some point in the event and put together a flawless effort. They had the patience and commitment to stick to their program, learned from their mistakes and came back stronger each succeeding year.

Most important of all, they had confidence and faith in Ricky Brabec.

And what about Ricky? Second, like Honda, Ricky paid his dues as well. Rally racing is as much an art as science, and the only way to victory is learning the game and developing sufficient confidence in your ability to read your roadbook and to be able to lead. Ricky plied his trade with real-world rally experience over four years of actual competition, supplemented by a rigorous training program during the off-season.

This is where American Dakar Rally veterans Jimmy Lewis and Johnny Campbell came in. Jimmy is the pied piper of U.S. Rally racing, and his Rally and navigation training programs are rigorous and proven. Ricky remained committed to the process of becoming better with the roadbook, and Jimmy certainly put him through the paces.

It also doesn’t hurt to have the winningest Baja 1000 rider

of all time, successful race team manager and a Dakar veteran in your camp as well. Johnny Campbell provided moral and strategic support to keep Ricky on track. His experience and coolness under pressure no doubt helped Ricky stay cool, calm and collected for the fortnight spent in the Saudi Arabian desert.

Continued on page 50

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Continued from page 49

Last but not least, multi-time AMA National Hare and Hound champion Kendall Norman served as Ricky’s mechanic. Rally racing and Dakar, in particular, can be a very lonely place for American riders with only a small handful competing any given year.

Having a friendly face and, more important, a trusted team member in the bivouac, someone you know has your back, can be all the difference between staying focused and never giving up.

All Americans should have a deep sense of pride in what Ricky accomplished. He followed in the footsteps of U.S. Dakar pioneers Chuck Stearns, Danny LaPorte, Paul Krause, Larry Roeseler, Kellon Walch, Chris Blais, Jonah Street, Jimmy Lewis, Johnny Campbell and yours truly to name just a few. Ricky, along with Andrew Short, represents a new era in Dakar and Rally racing with two highly competitive Americans flying our colors.

The Dakar Rally is the largest motorsports event in the world and easily one of the most recognized and followed by millions of fans in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. Ricky Brabec’s win goes down in the record books as a great day for America and U.S. off-road racing.

Dakar is an offshoot of the Baja 1000, a race that is better known in the United States than perhaps Dakar.

Americans invented desert racing and Baja racing as well, so it only makes sense that we should be the best at Dakar. Many of us knew this day would come.

Thank you, Ricky Brabec, for making all of us proud. Even you would never have thought that bouncing around on the back of the bike in the local Southern California desert near your home in Hesperia would lead to the pinnacle of motorsports. It just goes to show that dreams can come true.

All you have to do is dream big enough!

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The American rider won two stages outright, as did his Chilean teammate José Ignacio Cornejo, while Spanish veteran Joan Barreda won stage 10 and Argentinean Kevin Benavides took the top honors in stage 7 to celebrate his birthday. The historic win for Honda comes eight years after the marque’s return to Dakar, despite a couple close calls during which the team had narrowly missed out on the top spot, including Brabec’s run last year.

This was Brabec’s fifth attempt at the Dakar Rally, and last year saw him take his first stage win and assume the overall lead near the end, only to have a mechanical issue force him out of the race. This year he returned with a larger American support crew, including Chief Mechanic Hidenori Hanawa, consultant Johnny Campbell and technician Kendall Norman.

BREAKFAST WITH BRABEC Ricky Brabec Recaps Dakar Win

By Jason Gearld

F

resh from becoming the first American to win the legendary Dakar Rally, Ricky Brabec was at the Honda Campus in Torrance, CA on January 28. American Honda hosted “Breakfast With Brabec” where he and Johnny Campbell met with select members of the media for breakfast burritos and the story of what it took to win the Dakar Rally… but even cooler than that, Ricky went through the offices to personally thank everyone at American Honda for helping him make history! Class act!

If you were not glued to the daily updates coming from Saudi Arabia like the Dealernews crew was, here is Cliff’s Notes version: Through two weeks and 11 full stages of the toughest Rally in the world, Honda CRF450 RALLY riders broke KTM’s stranglehold as Ricky Brabec made history.

After 5,000 kilometers of timed specials, Brabec and his Honda teammates took six stage wins, and lead the race from day three on.

“I’m really excited to be here for Honda and for America as well,” Brabec said. “To be the only American to accomplish this goal is amazing. I think it’s really a dream come true.

Now we’ve got to set our goals higher and accomplish more… It was a big, tough race. A lot of kilometers.”

“The team worked great together. The riders were good and the whole team worked well together so I’m really happy. The bikes were really good. We are all here. We are all happy and safe. That was the first goal. I can’t thank everyone enough – Honda, Monster and every one of the sponsors behind us. Thank you all so much.”

Honda also shared some sweet video of the accomplishment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17-15SsDMC4

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MORE ON MIPS Brabec Tops Helmet Happenings

A

s we learned last issue with coverage of their Helmet Symposium/trunk show, MIPS AB, the Swedish-based innovator of multi-directional helmet protection technology, is looking to expand its U.S. presence in 2020.

Adding to their top of mind awareness campaign comes the fact that Ricky Brabec just won the Dakar Rally while competing in a MIPS-equipped lid. Regardless if your customers are looking for added safety, or just want to be like Brabec, the timing is perfect to start the conversation in your store.

The list of prominent racers trusting their heads to MIPS technology now includes Ryan Villopoto, Aaron Plessinger, Dean Wilson, Cole Seely, Romain Febvre, Clement Desalle, Taylor Robert and Ricky Brabec. “They now have the opportunity to compete with an enhanced peace of mind knowing that well over 20 years of research and tens of thousands of physical tests have gone into the continued development of the MIPS system,” notes Chief Science Officer, Peter Halldin. “MIPS is providing a proven technology to reduce rotational motion.”

Brands from Aplinestars and Bell to THOR and TLD are already incorporating MIPS technology… and the Swedes say the list of partners “is continually growing. If you missed the heads up last issue, CEO Max Strandwitz, and Co-Founder/Chief Science Officer, Peter Halldin, spelled out what it means: MultiDirectional Impact Protection System (MIPS) Brain Protection System (BPS). MIPS can be defined in four simple sentences:

As for Brabec, the Southern California desert racer made history at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first American in 42 years to win. Brabec has also hoisted the trophy at both the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, making him the only rider in history to achieve this triple crown! Brabec was protected by his MIPS BPS-equipped Alpinestars Supertech M10.

• MIPS is a Brain Protection System (BPS).

• Rotational motion can cause brain injuries.

• The low friction layer allows a sliding movement of 10-15mm in all directions, reducing rotational motion to the brain during impact.

• MIPS adds protection.

BE LIKE BRABEC With a growing number of professional athletes competing with the MIPS BPS on their collective heads, now is the time to spread the word, according to the Swedish scientists. With its added expansion in the high-profile American market, MIPS will continue to focus on its commitment to protecting riders of all ages and skill levels, whether that’s on pavement, dirt or even the piste of Dakar!

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According to Strandwitz, MIPS has established partnerships with nearly 20 different motorcycle helmet manufacturers to utilize their BPS technology, “with more to come. For each of these brands, the MIPS protection system isn’t limited to the highest-priced model and can be found at virtually every price point, including youth helmets.”

From a global perspective, MIPS technology is incorporated in 583 models from 103 different brands, representing leading brands in the bicycle, snow, equestrian, hockey, rock climbing and most recently, construction industries.

To learn more about what MIPS protection means to you and your customers, check with your preferred helmet supplier or head directly to MIPSProtection.com

I’d be married to for life. Hell, I was ecstatic! And so I set off on a 2-hour drive down Interstate 44 to deliver that cursed bike to its new forever-dealer and out of my life forever! (Or, so I’d thought).

THE TIES THAT BIND Tie-Down Tales

By William Douglas Little

H

aving built a Top 100 winning multi-line dealership from scratch, I certainly have my fair share of tall tales. And, as someone who is fraught with bad luck and public mishap, those stories are not ones anyone with a lick of common sense would want to live through. If you’re familiar with my books or magazine columns, you know that my Guardian Angel is pretty ragged by now; perhaps a broken wing, a tattered robe and a halo that is irreparably bent and scuffed. So, when my friend Clint Lawrence at MotorcycleShippers.com asked me for my thoughts about the importance of good motorcycle tiedowns, I just happened to have a story or two to go along with that…

***********

It was 20 years ago when I loaded a three-model year-old Honda CT750 Aero Deluxe onto an open trailer to trade to another dealer for a bike I actually needed. Considering the fact that I’d inherited this unsold “Old Stock” unit from the dealer I’d bought the franchise rights from, then sold it myself three times, only to have credit turn-downs stop the deal; then sold it a fourth time to a gentleman whose house burned down that very night, (so I tore up the paperwork on the deal and let him return it the next day); I was excited to be finally getting rid of a bike I thought

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About 20-minutes into my drive, I came upon one of the legendary, endless I-44 construction projects marked by a single orange sign that read simply, “BUMP.” There I was, tightly-wedged into slowed traffic, carefully following the 35 MPH speed indicated by the construction signs, when suddenly, I learned that Missouri DOT and I share a vastly different definition of the word “bump.”

I, for example, would consider that word to mean something 2 or 3 inches tall and rounded at the top; maybe along the lines of a short speed bump or a slight imperfection in the road surface. You know, some insignificant obstacle that a vehicle could safely traverse at the prescribed 35 MPH speed limit.

To MDOT, however the word BUMP can also be assigned to a roughly 8-inch high, sharp-square-edged cement wall that marks the transition from where they’d cut out a section of the Interstate’s entire surface, leaving a hole deep enough to extract lava from the Earth’s core! The orange sign should have accurately read, “SATAN’S FRONT DOOR.”

The frontend of my Dodge pickup made an awful noise as it contacted this motocross-style whoop in the middle of the highway, followed by a loud “THUD!” as the rear tires jumped into the air. My eyes reflexively shot to the

rearview mirror and my cheeks clinched a crease into the seat upholstery as I watched in horror at my trailer and its cargo’s reaction!

The afternoon sun’s glint upon the Honda’s shiny chrome handlebars and headlight casing winked once, then shot an instant laser beam of bright, reflected sunlight into my mirror before settling back, as the heavy machine swayed first to the left, then bounced hard to the right, before shooting back left again!

To my amazement, the bike rocked slightly back and forth, then seemed to settle back straight in the mirror’s view. A wave of relief washed over me as I thought I was safe. Then, as I looked back to the road ahead, I realized that the use of the singular “BUMP” was also incorrect… it should’ve been plural — “BUMPS.”

You know what they say, “what goes up, must come down,” which apparently applies to trucks in construction zones, as well as motorcycles tied “up” on a trailer. Nothing is forever.

As the second bump passed beneath my truck and trailer, the bike once again did its left-right-left thing, but this time the second left was much more exciting… it was when the bike “left” the trailer!

Leaning forward to see more of the righthand mirror image, I found the front of the Aero, dangling from the side of the trailer and repeatedly head-butting each of the construction barrels, one after another with its headlight!

Behind me lights flashed, horns blared and construction workers ran for their lives, screaming obscenities that would make the devil himself turn away in a blush!

Orange-striped construction barrels exploded into the air, one after another, flipping end-over-end and tracking my forward progress like perfectly lined-up popcorn kernels bursting to white puffs!

Afraid to make matters worse in the tight traffic, I didn’t slam on the brakes, but instead, I eased off of the accelerator and waited for the opportunity to exit. The popping barrel line slowed to 2-3 seconds between pops, (which is where Orville Redenbacher would recommend removing the bag from the microwave).

As I finally pulled through the barrels into an untouched section of construction zone, then jumped out and ran to the back, I found that the two ties on the driver side of the bike had failed under the force of the rocking machine — one having broken apart at the ratchet itself, the other pulling free from its hook binding. The bike had fallen against the upright railing on the trailer’s passenger side, catching the right side foot peg on the edge of the railing, which was the only thing that kept it from falling all the way off and cartwheeling through those orange construction barrels that lined the lane!

After re-tying the bike, I was able to assess the damage and I realized how lucky I’d been. Aside from a huge dent and scratches in the tank, the only sign that the bike had stumbled was a small scratch on the aftermarket engine case guard. I called the receiving dealer and worked out a plan with them, still able to make the trade. Of course, I thought I’d learned a lesson about cheap tie-downs that I wouldn’t forget…

**********

Several years later, while hauling an ATV back to my dealership on an open trailer, I crested a hill on the highway and started to descend the long downhill slope that precedes my exit. It was Fall and, as is typical at that season in Missouri, there was a recently-struck dead deer lying partially in my lane, so I quickly checked my mirrors and swerved to the passing lane, then back again.

Just then, I saw a flash of red in my driver side mirror and shot my gaze back, afraid I had accidentally cut someone off! As my eyes settled on what was there, it made no sense… it appeared that I was being passed by a riderless Honda Rancher! Isn’t that an odd coincidence? It’s like when you buy a new car and suddenly you start seeing them everywhere. Here I’m hauling a red Honda Rancher on my trailer and then I see this one riding itself down the… heyyyyy, wait a minute!

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My instinct was to slam on the brakes, which is exactly what I did! The big truck’s tires screeched slightly as I watched the ATV continue its journey down the fast lane, neatly passing me by and riding on ahead of me as though it had somewhere to be! Obviously, I chose to follow.

We made it to the bottom of the hill, me again changing lanes to give chase and thoughtfully reaching up to click the button for my Hazard flashers. As the ATV rode itself through the valley and began ascending the next hill toward the exit, it slowly crossed the center of the roadway, moving to the driving lane which I thought was quite courteous, considering its slowing uphill speed.

I remained in hot pursuit, now decelerating to around 40 as the ATV continued across the slow lane and onto the shoulder, where it kicked up a few stray pebbles that ka-tinked off of my hood.

At this point I felt nervous. I watched helplessly as the Honda left the shoulder for the grass and began its crossways ride down the embankment toward the outer road. I was sure that it would roll, destroying plastic and causing untold damage to the bars, racks and frame as it went, but it instead continued on four wheels to the bottom, across the drainage ditch and up the incline to the roadway beyond!

Just before cresting the shoulder there, it turned left again, rode back down the embankment — across the same ditch, then back up the incline toward the Interstate before again turning downhill and ultimately rolling to a stop in the dry drainage ditch where it sat, waiting for me to retrieve it!

I drove up to the exit, circled around to the outer road and pulled to the shoulder above the ATV. From there, I walked down with the key in hand, started the bike and road it back up to re-load onto the trailer again! It was perfect! That ATV had just come off of my trailer at 65 MPH and taken itself for a 3/4 mile ride down the Interstate without getting a scratch on it! Remember what I’d said about my Guardian Angel looking ragged?

Again, I’d found that two straps I had used had failed that day. I assume that the abrupt lane change had been the maneuver that finally freed the quad from its bindings and sent it upon its excursion, the remnants of one strap still dangling from the front rack.

Should I have used more straps? Absolutely. It was a dumb mistake on my part while in a hurry. After all, I wasn’t hauling a heavy, unbalanced motorcycle, so I just used some cheap tie-downs that I had stowed in the truck’s toolbox instead of grabbing my expensive straps. Nothing I hadn’t done a thousand times before.

**********

The fact is, a tie-down faces a great deal of force when in use. An 800-pound motorcycle that is being thrown from side-to-side can weigh multiples of that in terms of physical force against a strap, and that’s also compounded by the “snapping” as the bike whips back the opposite direction. Likewise, an ATV can place a great deal of strain on its bindings if you have to hit the brakes quickly; or floor it to get through an intersection amidst heavy traffic; or when you quickly whip into another lane to avoid one of Missouri’s notorious roadkill deer.

It took me a couple of lessons, but I eventually learned that trusting a clearance sale tie-down to hold a machine worth thousands of dollars was probably not ideal. I mean, after all, I owned a dealership and had access to multiple brands of quality tie-downs… all at cost. How cheap does a guy really have to be?

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William Douglas Little is a former radio personality, stand-up comic, an auctioneer, a former multi-line dealership owner an author and a father of three. He lives on his farm in rural Missouri with his wife Beth. Find William’s book, “Mexican Bowl Fishing: And Other Tales of Life” on Amazon.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS? Personnel Files

By Ryan Baylon

H

ow do you define success? Your average American would tell you that someone who is successful is someone with cash, property, fame, fancy cars, or in this case a collection of motorcycles, and/or an impressive job title. As a typical American, most of the people in this reading this article will generally agree with that definition. It seems obvious. If I earn money, and own a shit ton of stuff, then I will be successful. Look at Jeff Bezos. Look at Steve Jobs. Look at anybody who you see as successful and they will slide right in to every one of those categories.

However, I’m here to tell you that all of this is not real success. Success in life should be considered by a person.

Their values, actions, and positive influence on others. Not the junk that somehow defines a person today. According to multiple studies, none of the items previously listed actually bring you any substantial happiness or well-being. Don’t you think it’s a little bit crummy that our society has centered ourselves around things that won’t actually lead to a happier life? In this article, I will try and dispel some common myths about happiness, and tell you later how you can live your best life.

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Today, Americans are so caught up in materialism, and ideas of success that will never leave anybody satisfied. For example, let’s take money. The universal symbol for success and wellbeing worldwide. As income increases, you’d expect happiness to go up as well since that’s what all children have been taught since birth. Well, if you envy Bezos, Zuckerberg, or Gates for their riches; don’t! Do you really think they are any happier than the magazine test rider who gets to ride all the latest and greatest motorcycles while trying out new gear? I can guarantee that guy doesn’t make the money those guys make… but you can see that ear-to-ear smile from a mile away every time he takes to freshly prepped track, with a full tank of race gas and brand new tires!

According to CNBC, happiness to income correlation plateau after $75,000 a year. Essentially, your local In-N-Out manager will, statistically speaking, be just as happy if not happier than any billionaire. According to the unfortunately named PNAS, (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) there is only a 0.1 correlation between money and happiness.

In short, having a ton of money will do absolutely nothing for you in your long-term mental health. The reason for this is summed up by the Scientific American’s Douglas Fields when he says “Money seems like the solution to all of our problems in life, but it isn’t. Money can actually cause more unhappiness in our everyday lives. What money gives with one hand — access to pleasurable experiences — it takes away with the other by robbing people of the ability to appreciate simple joys.”

The same logic goes for your child’s grades. Students get used to having straight As, so they don’t stop and appreciate a B+ when it comes their way. A B+ still takes a lot of work, but students just don’t appreciate any grade they get, leaving them merely OK with the 95 they got on an assignment. This feature is due to an annoying adaptation called hedonism that has helped humanity adapt through time to develop new perceptions of positive and negative emotions.

In regular people terms, hedonism helps the body adapt to experiences around us. If I were to lose my legs, I could still be happy because I would get used to my newfound lack of leg, through hedonism. Unfortunately for us though it also works the other way. If I was to get a new car, I would statistically only be happy for about a month because I’d just get used to having this car in my driveway. According to Psychologist Dan Gilbert, “Wonderful things are especially wonderful the first time they happen, but their wonderfulness wanes with repetition.” Well, except for that magazine test rider repeatedly burning through tanks of race gas

So, if we can’t be happy by getting money and new cars, what will help us, What can make us happy? First of all, in order to combat positive hedonism, you need to savor. Savor the good points in your life. This may sound really cheesy, but I swear it works.

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I recently downloaded an app called 3 Good Things that I log into every night. By noting anything that went positively in your day, you start to notice a new appreciation for the day.

Even if you had the worst day ever, when looking back on it, you only see the 3 good things that went well, rather than the plethora of everything that went terribly wrong.

Arianna Hufffington explains this saying, “Gratitude works its magic by serving as an antidote to negative emotions. It’s like white blood cells for the soul, protecting us from cynicism, entitlement, anger, and resignation.”

In the documentary Happy, there is a segment that covers the story of a poor rickshaw runner in the slums of india who lives under a tarp house and sleeps on the floor. According to the film, this man is just as happy as the average American, meaning you or me. “I feel that I am not poor,” Manoj Singh says, “but I am the richest person.” Even though this man has no money, he still can be happy because he notices and appreciates everything around him.

Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology has narrowed down what causes true happiness, and fortunately for us, he put it in a handy dandy acronym. PERMA. PERMA stands for Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment (notice how money isn’t in there?). In order to achieve the best life possible, you’re first going to need a dash of positive emotion. This is just eating an ice cream cone, watching a beautiful sunset, or visiting the beach for a bit. Anything that brings you pleasure will help you become happier. Weird right?

Secondly, engagement is important. Do stuff that you enjoy and that make you lose track of time. For me that’s biking, going on walks, playing my instruments, meditating and procrastinating writing this article. Do what makes you feel passionate.

Relationships are just building stronger bonds between those who you care about. Go out to dinner with some friends! (bonus happiness points if you offer to pay for someone else’s meal) Play a board game with your family!

Talk to someone who you don’t talk to much anymore. Go out of your way to create genuine human interaction, and you’ll be well on your way towards the most positive life possible.

Next is Meaning. Change the world through whatever you do. Try picking up any trash you see on the floor, or trying “Meatless Mondays” in order to reduce carbon footprint.

Donate to charity or volunteer for something you’re passionate about.

Accomplishment is exactly as it sounds. If you feel accomplished in something you do, you will feel happier, according to Seligman. Finishing this article before the deadline gave me a sense of accomplishment within myself that boosted my well-being. Just notice steps towards progress you’re taking and savor them, acknowledging all the hard work you did to get to that point.

Beyond that, there are certain activities that will also help happiness. My personal favorite is meditation. Although it takes a while to learn, Meditation is one of the most effective ways to become more happy, calm and positive. Research has shown that meditation can raise our level of happiness, reduce stress hormones in our body, and even have a positive effect on our immune system.

Another study published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health tested 30 medical students to measure their cortisol levels before meditation.

Cortisol is the hormone in your body responsible for stress,

“Gratitude

works its magic by serving as an antidote to negative emotions. It’s like white blood cells for the soul, protecting us from cynicism, entitlement, anger, and resignation.

”

and too much of it can lead to sleep trouble, anxiety and mood swings (AKA way less happiness). Well, the study revealed that after just four days of mindful meditation, the students’ cortisol levels decreased significantly. Just four days, people!

In order to get to know the practice, I would recommend the app Headspace, a meditation app that has improved my skills a lot. Another way to become happier is through Exercise, According to WebMD, “When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.”

As a society, we are becoming much less focused on what matters in life. Our culture is so centered around work, artificial success and materialism to the point where it’s unfortunate that I have to tell you how to be happy. Everyone claims that they want to live the happiest life possible, but very few people know how to actually start. On your deathbed, you won’t be thinking about how much money you’ve made, how big your house is, your past jobs. You’ll be thinking of how well lived your life was. How happy you were. How much impact you’ve made in other peoples life, because that’s what matters.

MIJ Industry #PROfiles

Dealernews is honored to work with Motorcycle Industry Jobs to recognize the people who make up this great industry.

“When you start reading the Industry #PROfles, you will notice that 80-90% of them get their start at a motorcycle dealership,” says MIJ founder Alex Baylon. “The dealers are on the front lines and have always been the heart and soul of the industry. Without motorcycle dealerships, most of us wouldn’t be where we are today, so part of our message is always going to be ‘support your local motorcycle shop.’”

In addition to recognizing industry pros, Dealernews is also working with MIJ to create a job ticker tape of the latest positions opening in the industry at the Dealernews.com site. Check it out at: www.dealernews.com/Industry-Jobs “Tell us your story,” adds Baylon. “We would love to feature you! Click here to fill out the questionnaire: www.motorcycleindustryjobs.com/industry-profiles/

MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com founder Alex Baylon has been hiring and firing people in the powersports industry for 25 years.

Currently with a major distributor, he has also been with Dragon Alliance, Ceet Racing, MX GP Services in Europe, Acerbis USA, Motonation/Sidi Boots and Scott USA. He started MIJ as he saw a need in the industry for people who are passionate about the motorcycle industry to have an employment outlet. The motorcycle industry like many others has always recycled employees from one company to another and it has always been done by word of mouth. MIJ allows companies in the industry to post their openings and give others in and out of the industry a chance to apply and insert new blood and fresh ideas in the many opportunities in the motorcycle industry.

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Gen X and Millennials seem to be shying away from the traditional brick-and-mortar dealership experience in favor of finding an old Honda CB550 on Craigslist and restoring it.

New unit sales are flat — maybe there is a reason? Perhaps America is burned out on the same old retail formula which worked on the “masses” for the past three decades? Maybe we want to be treated as individuals once again rather than members of the cytoplasmic blob of mindless shoppers controlled by overly-creative marketers.

I am sure you seen or heard of the new trends in pizza parlors? Make your own! Chipotle’s Mexican-themed menu allowing you to “invest” in your own personalized meal was a home run in the west. Ditto for Slater’s 50/50 Burgers (.com) offering a choice of more than 150 ways to size, cheese or top your own burger… plus there is even the option of a gluten-free bun for wheat-shunners like me.

Now that’s customized eating!

Confessions Of A Customer®

By Eric Anderson

ORGANIC RETAILING Time To Get Dirty!

A

pparently the secret to successful organic farming is proper fertilizer. Can the same be true of growing more customers? Somehow “Organic Retailing” just sounds wrong! But the concept is catching on in all sorts of shopping venues. Rather than baffling them with technical BS, words like local, artisanal, handcrafted, made-toorder, personalized and of course, the overused “organic” are now more popular than ever before. And it’s not just Baby Boomers swinging away from the sterile, cookiecutter franchised retailers — its’ younger buyers, too. Local businesses seem to be making a comeback as a pushback to the crap being presented by the omnipresent MASS market retailers.

A previous column of mine referred to the “sea of sameness” making up the shopping experience — both in the powersports arena and general retail. Since it is all the same out there, why not shop on the impersonal Internet instead?

Apply this concept to your dealership as you read this article: Do you or anyone in your family shop at the weekly Farmer’s Market? How about boutique apparel stores? Local restaurants instead of nationally franchised chains? Craft beer halls in place of Bud Lite-serving sports bars? Big golf courses vs. funky, fun local ones? See what I mean? Things are changing and choices are coming as the pendulum of life begins to swing in the opposite direction.

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Nikeid.com and Vans.com have offered personalized shoes online for nearly 15 years. Oakley still does it too on their Factory Custom website. Lucky Jeans stores are standouts by creating great, organic venues and personalized shopping experiences centered around vintage T-shirts and stretchy, faded jeans… ironically located inside the sanitized malls of America. How can your dealership become a more fun place to shop, more customer-personalized and individualspecific?

It has been said we are entering the age of “no customers.”

To interpret this powerful quote, you need to erase your previous concept of multiple customers (plural). There is only one customer — the one standing in front of you! He is the most important person in your retailing life at that moment because you only have one shot to make him a return customer rather than a runaway customer.

If you offer some personalized services which make customers feel special about shopping at your store, they will likely return because of their “blown away” first impression. If you are simply toeing the retail line and attempting to keep up with the Jones’ dealership across town, you have lowered yourself to everyone else’s level of retailing. No wonder your floor traffic is down!

Call it hip, hot or hilarious, it’s so much more fun to shop when surrounded by something new (or old) and unique! It might be a small movement now, but why not be on the leading edge of what’s going mainstream? The pendulum for recreational shopping is swinging away from “big and glitzy”— the trend now is to place retail venues in older, restored buildings with a local story.

Retail is being repurposed just like that vintage CB550 with modern tires, electronic ignition and a comfortable seat. Old movie theaters, citrus packing houses, barns, car dealerships, churches and former fire stations are all getting fun and funky remodels and new facades to bring out their individuality. Tan stucco, antiseptic floorplans and fluorescent lighting at retail is dead… unless you are WalMart and Home Depot!

The Ace Cafe in Orlando elected to refurbish an old railroad maintenance facility in downtown Orlando. A motorcycle dealership and retail store are also inside a part of the

Revival Cycles in Austin, Texas, is still doing one of the best jobs in adding true “texture” to the retailing experience by mixing art, music and motorcycles into one space. Be sure and stop by to be inspired if you are heading to MotoGP this April.

Sure, Deus ex Machina (God in the Machine) is a clothing company, but so are you. Take some cues from nonmotorcycle dealerships who sell coffee, music, beer and fun while using motorcycles as a theme. Floorspace is a premium, but don’t make it look like a storage facility. Open it up and everything begins to increase in value rather than looking like overstock.

Plant some ideas into the fertile “organic” retail environment and grow your customer base. If you don’t get your hands dirty now, customers will wither away as they in the sterile mass market field…

As Uncle Paul Wünsch said, “and that ain’t no shit!”

90-year-old building, there is even an art gallery. It has modern conveniences, of course, but the “story” of the trains and historic building are preserved and promoted alongside motorhead mania, food and music. Headed to Bike Week? Visit it when you are in the area for great ideas even if you don’t want to combine “food and drink” with the retail experience in your store. Think organic and you might think twice!

Nobody expects you to move your shop to a historical venue. The question is how can you provide more “story” to the place you have now? The plethora of home remodeling shows on HGTV proves there are thousands of ideas out there you have never thought of for a possible facelift for your store. Perhaps it’s time to go on a field trip and explore some other “organic retailers” to see what else is possible out there? Look for the off-beat restaurants, craft breweries and anti-malls growing across the nation for fresh, new ideas. Stop looking inside the Big Box merchants’ antiseptic boxes… Get dirty!

A couple simple touches like lighting fixtures, a wooden bar top and checkerboard pattern converts this “dealership” into an entirely new “experience.” Of course, music and food always add to the fun… and dwell time on site. Could you fit a coffee corner into your store? My local bicycle store now offers coffee and beer along with their 2-wheel pedaled machines.

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MIC LEADERSHIP Association Members Elect New Directors to Take on These Challenging Times Motorcycle Industry Council members elected two new directors for the organization’s board, and re-elected Secretary/ Treasurer Jim Woodruff for another two-year term. Dealernews Editor Robin Hartfiel, who has served on the MIC Aftermarket Committee since 1992, was elected to take the seat of Eric Anderson, of VROOM Network, whose term expires this month. Rod Lopusnak, general manager of Triumph North America, was elected to take the seat vacated by Mike Peyton, of BMW Motorrad USA. Read More

2020 MIC Board members Robin Hartfiel, Rod Lopusnak, and Jim Woodruff.

COMMUNICATIONS Sneaking a Motorcycle into a Mainstream Travel Story The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, ran a travel story on Columbus, Ohio, that gave a nice nod to two-wheeling. And once again, AIMExpo presented by Nationwide provided the venue and backdrop that helped make another positive mainstream media story possible for motorcycling. Read More

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Preserve Protect, Promote You take care of business.

We take care of the business environment.

Strong, effective representation in Washington, D.C. and state capitals • Vigorous media outreach • Industry statistics source Sales data • Educational symposiums and networking opportunities Join MIC’s 650 member companies and strengthen the industry.

Visit the MIC Business Center on the AIMExpo show floor at Booth #141 to learn how your company will benefit from membership, including how to get $200 or more off your 2019 AIMExpo Booth.

mic.org

FIRED UP!

Wildfire Recovery Of OHV Areas Important For Our Future

by Donald Amador

T

he 2018 Mendocino Complex fire scorched more than 400,000 acres of public lands in California managed by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service. The Mendocino Complex fire included the 30,000-acre River Fire that impacted BLM lands near Ukiah and the 410,000-acre Ranch Fire that burned mostly on federal and lands within the Mendocino National Forest boundary.

It remains the largest such wildfire complex in California history. The wildfire also resulted in the closure of three federal OHV areas that are key destination recreation sites that provide casual trail use, motorized access to non-motorized activities, and permitted motorized events. These three OHV areas provided trail networks for dirtbikes, ATVs and SxSs where use is the highest during the fall/winter/spring riding season when the higher elevation routes are under winter or wet-weather closures.

The closures directly impacted all powersports dealers in the region that sell vehicles, services, and products to riders who usually enjoy those OHV areas. The extended closures continued to have a devastating economic impact to dealers and other local businesses long after the flames subsided.

Fortunately, the OHV community — with support from the powersports industry — rallied a volunteer army to partner with the Forest Service and BLM to engage in many post fire recovery efforts that included clearing downed trees off of trails, removing exposed rebar, installing new trail delineators, repairing campgrounds, and fencing off important cultural and natural resource areas.

Those joint work projects resulted in many of the OHV routes being reopened ahead of schedule. And they set the stage for additional trails and campgrounds to be reopened as highlighted in the Forest Service news release on February 3, 2020 from the Mendocino National Forest as Forest Supervisor,

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Ann Carlson reopened more trails and campgrounds that were impacted by the 2018 Ranch Fire: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mendocino/newsevents/?cid=FSEPRD698753

WILLOWS, CA, Feb. 3, 2020 — Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson has issued Forest Order No. 08-20-02 for the Ranch Fire area which opens more trails and campgrounds and continues the temporary closure of selected trails and campgrounds until more fire hazards can be removed. The new closure is effective from January 29, 2020 until December 31, 2020.

Most of the road system and trails in the Ranch Fire area have been evaluated and hazards have been removed. Forest Order No. 08-20-02 opens the majority of OHV trails on the Grindstone Ranger District as well as Pine Mountain Lookout and Bear Creek campground on the Upper Lake Ranger District.

However, numerous hazards still exist within the general forest, along many roads and trails and in campgrounds.

Supervisor Carlson says, “Due to the hard work of Forest Service employees and volunteers there are now many fire impacted areas that are safe for the public to enjoy and I feel it is important to reopen access to public lands where we can.

We are continuing to remove hazards such as dead standing trees, exposed rebar in trail treads, and stump holes on trails in order to reopen the remaining trails and campgrounds.”

“Although the end date for Order 08-20-02 is December 31, 2020, we are working hard to reasonably reduce risks to the public and reopen areas as soon as possible,” Carlson adds. Forest Order 08-20-02, including the order, map and list of closed trails and facilities is posted on the forest website: https://tinyurl.com/urx4jwu

I believe the Forest Supervisor correctly identified the collaboration between agency staff and volunteers from non-profits, clubs, and the community to clear trails, remove hazards, and repair campgrounds as an important factor in reopening OHV opportunities on the Forest.

I encourage trail riders to get out and enjoy the reopened trails but also respect the closure order and stay off of routes that remain closed. Your cooperation will help support the Forest’s ongoing post fire recovery efforts so that additional routes – that are used for both casual riding and permitted events – will be reopened sooner than later.

Thanks again to the powersports industry for stepping up to the plate with support for these volunteer recovery projects.

You all rock!

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for almost 29 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/ Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018.

Don served on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000.

He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award.

Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California. He may be reached via email at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com

Please tread lightly and travel only on routes and in areas designated open for motor vehicle use.

Remember, Respected Access is Open Access.

THIS PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT IS POWERED BY

So, here’s a Done-Solved that’ll save time and frustration: if you’re changing tires, just unscrew the container top and dump in the goop while the wheel assembly is half mounted (in the tire machine). On the jobs that have mounted tires (gooping as a solo function), cut the applicator tip on the plastic goop bottle so it’ll slide onto the tire stem, then safety-wire or hose-clamp it in place.

Take a pointed hand reamer and bore a hole in the bottom of the bottle. With a little shop air and a small orifice air gun, pressurize the goop right in.

WARNING: If you get stupid and hit the container with a 90-pound blast of air, you’re gonna be playing “Clean-up Idiot,” so use your little brain-like think device.

Wünschisms

By Uncle Paul

THE POOP ON TIRE GOOP!

One last thing: if the customer says he don’t think he needs his tires gooped, smile. Then ask, “Ever had the pleasure of pushing your ATV with a flat? Or changed out tires on a deer lease? Have you ever thought about how much fun it’ll be when ya try to find the puncture hole in the middle of the night, sittin’ by your blind?

Or making field repairs while your buddies are swillin’ booze with hot poker hands around a warm campfire, most likely discussing the sexual merits of your ex-old lady? Ever thought about all that Bubba? Sure you don’t want Uncle Paul to goop your tires?”

Remember the old TV show Unsolved Mysteries circa 1987-1999? Originally presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden and Robert Stack the NBC series attempted to resolve cold cases and paranormal events. Uncle Paul, Dealernews’ tech guru decided to put his spin on the program with a series of “DoneSolved Mysteries” wherein he applied a little Texas tech-savvy to problems plaguing his fellow wrenchspinners. While “Done-Solved Mysteries” didn’t run a full 14-seasons in Dealernews, a couple episodes like this one are worth revisiting, even if PJ1 doesn’t offer Flat Shield any more.

E

arly fall in Texas, when the temperature drops down to 90°, all the deer hunters start getting happy feet and pulling their ATVs out for make-readys and servicing. Love Cycles adds tire goop to about every other work order just by mentioning it to the customer (“gooping the tires” is the technical term we use). This is not the stuff one would use after they have a flat (fix-aflat type fixer). Nay, nay, this is the stuff that clogs holes from Spanish Daggers, Greasewood and other major tire-killing hole-pokers.

If there’s a better goop out there than PJ-1’s Flat Shield, we haven’t tried it. However, getting 12 ounces of syrupthick goop into a tiny stem can be a pain in the exhaust port!

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*Paul Wunsch was the owner of Love Cycles, a serviceonly shop located in Houston, Texas. “Wunschisms” are truisms that, according to the author, are often plagiarized or modified clichés – statements quoted so often that the employees of Love Cycles have numerically designated the most popular. Paul passed away November 21, 2003 but his wit and wisdom live on in the pages of Dealernews.

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HEADING INTO SPRING

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pring may be in the air, but helmets are what’s hot. With the flurry of distributor events running non-stop from January through the middle of February, there were literally hundreds of new helmets hitting all at once! From Alpinestars M10 at A1 to the latest Formula from FLY and GMAX at WPS, just about every letter and alphanumeric combo was unveiled. The new management team at Helmet House had HJC and Shoei to show off. Tucker shared SENA’s expanded helmet range, the newest Nolan N70 2X ADV and N70 2GT Touring toppers along with the Arai super premium helmets and Speed & Strength house brand. Parts Unlimited presented an almost unlimited array at their NVP from Moose F1 to THOR. Meanwhile Shark was circling with their dealer-direct range and smart helmet source Quin was waiting in the wings to announce the debut of their Dallas design center… And it is only February!

Photo Courtesy Of Shoei

FEBRUARY 2020

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BUILDING A BETTER MOUSE TRAP

6D Helmets patented Omni-Directional Suspension system to reduce both linear and rotational acceleration upon impact goes into the latest lid before the logo goes on!

“We were impressed with its latest ATS-1R full-face street helmet, which is lighter, more aerodynamic and has enhanced features compared to its predecessor,” according to the last general interest month motorcycle magazine left on the newsstands, Rider.

Premium protection comes at a price, but repeat customers are worth it!

MSRP is $750 https://www.6dhelmets.com/ats-1r/

COOL RUNNING

GMAX has refined its cold weather helmets and WPS has them in stock and ready to heat things up in your shop. They say the AT-21S is ECE/ DOT approved helmet features a quick release buckle and includes a clear dual-lens shield, a cold weather breath box and chin curtain for when the weather takes a turn. Available in youth sizes only weighing 3 pounds and adult sizes at only 3.2 pounds in multiple colors and graphics.

List Price: $174.95-$284.95 check with your WPS rep or click here for all the latest intel: www.gmaxhelmetsusa.com

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE RAIN IS GONE

Heads up ADV riders, SHOEI has added the CNS-2 Transitions light intelligent shield specially designed for its popular Hornet X2 dual-sport/adventure touring helmet. Motorcyclists have been enjoying the benefits of the CWR-1 Transitions shields on their X-Fourteen, RF1200 and RF-SR road helmets since 2013, and the CNS-2 Transitions shield now allows the advanced photochromic technology to be enjoyed by adventure riders, as well. “We’ve had great success with the Transitions shield in some of our best-selling helmet styles,” says Hiroshi Maeda, President of Shoei Safety Helmet Corp. “We know from riders who’ve worn it how indispensable the product is, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to expand to more styles, offering the amazing technology to even more riders.”

MSRP is $210 and an automatic upgrade to any existing Hornet X2 customer: https://www.store.shoei-helmets.com/cns-2-pinlock-transitions-photochromicshield-hornet.html

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BLOOD IN THE WATER!

Shark is done testing the waters and ready to take a bigger bite out of the U.S. helmet business. During the past 18 months the French company has established its warranty program (the warranty service and repair center is located in Chicago, email dealer@shark-helmets-usa. com about warranty claims), a comprehensive selection of replacement shields, spare parts and accessories are warehoused in the U.S. and the central located in Chicago, means they offer same day shipping if a dealer order comes in before 3PM CST. And unlike some companies having tariff troubles and coronavirus concerns, Shark helmets are NOT manufactured in China! Best of all, your customers can be seen and stay visible even in the darkest conditions with the LED-illuminated full face SKWAL2 helmet.

MSRP starting at $269.99 for blank matte version https://us.shark-helmets.com/collections/skwal-2-ledembedded-helmet

DEUS NUTSHELLS

Eric Anderson confesses Deus Ex Machina is an apparel company in this month’s column. He also notes they are kicking ass at the retail level by embracing grunge… or at least the appearance of it. Giving customers what they want in a funky environment certainly works for their “Nutshells” retro lid line. “The collection embraces all our favorite vintage design features and finishes, across some classic styles – we’ve thrown in some bright paintwork, classic logo branding and made most of them 3 snap retro visor compatible, making it easy to mix it up where you want,” claims the apparel company. “Safety first … each helmet is DOT & ECE certified and manufactured using high-quality fiberglass outer construction. Each design incorporates multiple shell sizing, to ensure a snug fit across the size grade, and are all goggle and glasses compatible.”

MSRP is $250… what do you have on your shelves that can compete with this?.deuscustoms.com/collections/moto-edm-helmets/ products/django-vintage-mx-helmet-bordeaux

Photo courtesy of Shoei

FEBRUARY 2020

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smoking tires up and down the block and even a cameo by the star of Warner Bros. Pictures feature film Birds Of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn. This theatrical partnership and the forthcoming filmic showcase of Triumph motorcycle product continues a long and enduring legacy of more than 100 years appearing in fanfavorite films.

In the film, Huntress rides a Triumph Street Triple RS. The bike steals several scenes featuring explosive motorcycle performances, stunts and dynamic riding. Triumph Motorcycles is supporting the theatrical release of Birds Of Prey through a global in-dealership campaign at 650+ locations.

Already the #1 North America Triumph Dealer of all time,” Southern California Triumph dealer principal Tom Hicks further leveraged the event to drive traffic back to the store.

“We sent a ’thank you’ for making our Triumph Best of British Tour in Los Angeles such a festive success,” says Hicks. “And

TRIUMPH TOUR DE FORCE Best Of British Tour Rocks On!

By Jason Gearld

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couple of Triumph’s top dealers, LA Cyclesports and Southern California Triumph teamed up to host the “Best of British Tour” stop at the House of Machines event venue as part of the brand’s 38-city celebration of British motorcycling. Food, drink, music and swag bags for the first 70 people to show up. Since it was close to Hollywood, Triumph also offered a sneak peek at the new Harley Quinn flick, but the stars of the evening were Triumph’s newfor-2020 motorcycles.

Kicking off last November in Nashville the Best of British events are a dealer-centric consumer outreach that builds awareness, does data capture and incentivizes customers to the tune of a $500 voucher for Triumph gear as a “thank you” for taking the surveys. ”This program is an invitation to experience Triumph’s dedication to being the premium lifestyle motorcycle brand,” said Triumph Motorcycles America GM Rod Lopusnak when the Best Of British first launched.

“The tour features the all-new Rocket 3, limited edition Daytona Moto2 765 and new Street Triple RS, each of which embody Triumph’s unmatched combination of performance, capability and fit-and-finish,” explained Lopusnak.

In addition to the “big three” models mentioned by Lopusnak, the Los Angeles stop featured a preview of Triumph’s latest ADV offerings, a couple “anonymous” hooligans allegedly

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as a way to say thank you — we had some pretty bad ass Triumph goodie bags to give the first 40 people that RSVPed and came into our showroom to demo a new 2020 Triumph.”

And this follow-up directly from Triumph: THANKS FOR PARTYING WITH US! Thank you so much for joining us at the Best of British Tour.

We hope you had an incredible time! New 2020 Triumphs will be arriving in dealerships soon, so if you saw something you like, a test ride is just a click away. Check in with your local Triumph dealer to find out how: https://www.triumphmotorcycles.com/dealers/find-a-dealer OEM, dealers in 38 key markets and a major theatrical release all working together to get customers into Triumph stores…

Now that is our kind of party! As for the mysterious black marks in the middle of the intersection… our money is on that Harley Quinn miscreant!

FEBRUARY 2020

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MOTOR BIKES Super73 Gets Serious!

By Tigra Tsujikawa

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teel may be real but Super73 rolled out its expanded range of aluminum-framed motor bikes combined with more powerful motors, uprated suspension and global connectivity. While the all-new R and RX models were the intended highlights of the unveiling in Los Angeles on January 25, the S2 stole the spotlight according to dealers.

Intended for the urban adventurer “the S2 is a sport-cruiserstyle motorbike built with an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy frame and a fully adjustable air spring suspension fork,” says CEO & co-founder LeGrand Crewse. “This is one of many upgrades of our existing S1 model, and bridges the gap between our flagship R-Series models.”

He states the addition of coil rear shocks and inverted suspension forks on the two R-Series bikes allowed Super73 to develop a new aluminum frame that delivers greater rigidity for the suspension platform and better resists corrosion and rust.

Powered by a 960Wh (Watt hour) battery with technology similar to Tesla’s batteries, the S2 and R-Series share the most powerful drive system Super73 has ever offered.

Featuring multiple ride modes and a connected electronics suite compatible with both iOS and Android mobile devices, Crewse claims. “Updates can be added to the system via over-the-air updates to address different regulated assist limits from country to country. This means the bikes are built to be truly global vehicles.”

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The new S2 is programmed with a Class-2 riding mode, which allows for throttle operation and pedal assist riding up to 20mph. This makes it legal to ride on most bike paths without a license, insurance or registration. For areas where throttle-powered electric bicycles are not allowed, the Super73-S2 can be operated using pedal assist with the throttle deactivated in Class-1 and Class-3 modes (Class-1 up to 20mph and Class-3 up to 28mph). There is also an “Unlimited” mode, which gives riders access to 2000 watts of power via the throttle for speeds in excess of 28mph.

The dense battery technology packs an additional punch: Most electric bicycles utilize 400-700 watt-hour batteries, the state-of-the-art 960 watt-hour battery provides an estimated 40+ miles of range at 20mph when using throttle-only operation. Clicking into the ECO pedal assist mode makes for an estimated range of 75+ miles.

And then there are those tires! Produced by Vee Rubber specifically for Super73, the massive — well, by eBike standards — 5” wide BDGR tire is the widest and most aggressive 20” all-terrain fat tire in its class. “We’ve found that most of the tires on the market were very poorly constructed and were designed for very cheap unpowered bicycles,” claims Crewse. “As the tires are your only connection to the road, we decided to create a tire that was worthy of being used on the new R-Series.”

The BDGR is the first tire to blend motorcycle and bicycle tire construction methods to meet the needs of this revolutionary vehicle. The proprietary Super73 tread

pattern is said to improve traction, reduce road noise and increase stability for both on-road and light-duty off-road riding.

Founded in 2016 and based in Southern California, Super73 has led the charge in pioneering a new approach to help redefine the electric motorbike industry. By emphasizing thoughtful design, responsible manufacturing techniques, and local community engagement, the brand continually strives to grow and expand into a true industry leader.

Interested in adding eBikes to your model mix? Click here: https://super73.com/apps/store-locator

FEBRUARY 2020

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STOP THE MADNESS!

Five Fatal Flaws

By Lowell Anderson, Founder & CEO Simply Sound Consulting

I

n response to your Anonymous Dealer’s Opinion piece in the January issue concerning catalogs and product assortment at the distributor level, I have a couple thoughts. As a former insider, I can tell you exactly what the issue is! I admit that is difficult for me to respond without some anger. I watched many good people walk out the door due to the reasons I am listing below. It almost pushed me completely out of an industry that I love dearly as well.

In a nutshell, here are the problems:

1) LACK OF TRAINING Most of the people working as “merchants” in these companies have little to zero training when it comes to merchandising. In the past, these companies were hiring motorcycle enthusiasts to work as merchants. They gave them a computer, an entry level salary and they set them in a chair. They told them to load the products they think are going to sell and link them up with another “merchant” that was trained the same way so they can get the products in the system. They have zero understanding of a merchandising assortment plan, they don’t know what paradox of choice means, and when it comes to strategic pricing, they just look at the other distributors and make an assumption.

In recent years management has decided to completely avoid hiring motorcycle enthusiasts and instead tried to hire “highly educated” people from outside the motorcycle world to make merchandising decisions. MBA’s who have zero knowledge of what a motorcycle is or what the parts even do. People from the clothing industry or the automotive industry. These people make huge salaries but have to ask basic questions like: “What does an exhaust pipe do?” or “What is the difference between a dirt tire and a street tire?” They simply have no motorcycle

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knowledge whatsoever, BUT when they are hired, they are placed in management roles because they make a lot of money.

Since they are “educated” they rarely ask questions that may make them look silly. Instead they make decisions based on spreadsheets with zero knowledge of the why. In the process they make all of the motorcycle people feel inferior and simply push them right out the door. Most of the people with any real understanding are simply gone. If I am going to sell motorcycle parts I am not going to hire a car guy with an MBA. I am going to hire a person who loves motorcycles and I am going to take the time to train them in the motorcycle business. Hire people that understand the basics of the industry and take time to develop them. Invest in them and train them. Once that is done, respect and appreciate them. They are your best asset!

2) LET PEOPLE DO THEIR JOB! Let people do their job! Another issue is management has to let the good merchants do their job. They circumvent the merchant’s relationship with the vendor. They meet a manufacturer at an event and make promises the merchant has to deliver on. Now the merchant has to pick up another exhaust brand when there are already 15 exhaust brands in the assortment. No consideration for replication of merchandise or what was previously promised by the merchant to another vendor.

If the merchant tries to reduce the number of exhaust brands they carry, he has to prove the sales will be covered by another brand with zero historical data of the new brand to prove the position. This is opposed to the purchasing side where (at one point) it was determined that historical data was not needed to make purchasing decisions. Trained merchants need to be empowered to make decisions without interference. This is especially important when your merchant team is at a bare minimum and has extremely heavy workloads.

If you are concerned about their decisions after you train them, help them, incentivize them. You will often get good results and good decisions. Keep your door open and make yourself easy to work with and communicate with. This will empower the merchant team to ask questions without fear and bring up errors and issues before trying to cover them up.

3) POOR MANAGEMENT Poor management- The replication of assortment, huge catalogs, and poor execution of merchandising tactics ultimately comes down to the really poor management (see Point #1 and #2). Many of the directors come from industries that do not correlate to the motorcycle industry at all. They base decisions on spreadsheets or their experiences in other industries and it takes a long time to convince them that our industry is different. The people who do have real industry knowledge are stripped of their authority because they don’t have MBAs. They have to run all of their merchandising decisions through a single “boss” —This “boss” is more concerned about inventory dollars and short-term financial goals than taking care of dealers. Remember all of these decisions are based on spreadsheets, not industry knowledge or opportunity simply because this is what the CEOs and board members understand. This is the only language they can speak.

Here is an example: Many of the products you buy are manufactured overseas. The motorcycle industry is small. When all the distributors combine their order quantities you may have enough of a total order to get the manufacturer to produce the product. The typical MINIMUM buy-in for a manufactured good is usually 500-1000 pieces. That is difficult for many of these motorcycle companies to obtain. Mainly due to their bloated inventory of once hot and replicated items that have accrued over the years.

So now you have a someone running purchasing (with an MBA) who came from the automotive industry where they have complete control over the manufacturers they deal with. He has his purchasing team asking these overseas manufactures to order 10 (yes, I said 10) pieces. The manufacturer takes the order and waits for all the other distributors to place an order before they run production. This in turn causes a long term out of stock position for the item because the lead time for the item in the system is completely inaccurate. To be honest, most of the needed information for these items to be purchased properly has never been entered into the system. Things like MOQs and real lead times are sporadic at best. This is something the management team is aware of but is never given the time to address because it doesn’t generate immediate dollars.

4) INVENTORY ISSUES Inventory dollars roller coaster. Every year the same process takes place. The difference is the purchasing dollars spent has been reduced every year in the last 6 years. Every year in January/ February dollars are spent on inventory. This is done to ensure stock is in place for the busy season. The issue is they usually try to hold as much cash as possible as long as possible before they place these orders. This combined with the reduced spend is why you have stock issues. Demand is high in the spring months so inventory goes out quick, but they waited until the last second to place the orders because they are low on cash. Now there is no stock and no sales. They place re-orders but now they have to wait and hope the manufactures can keep up.

At the end of the season, usually starting in October, the purchasing teams are told to reduce inventory. So now orders are kept to a bare minimum and items are going out of stock again.

So, your best time to get stock is the first 2 weeks in March, and usually sometime in August. The rest of the season you will be fighting to get what is selling.

5) SHORT TERM MENTALITY Short term mentality- Most of the decisions made are to maintain a high level of cash with minimum investment in the future. The business is no longer being run or maintained by motorcycle people interested in the future and growth of the motorcycle industry. The business is being run by a group of investors interested in making a profit and taking as much money with them when they step out of the motorcycle industry as they can.

Which is usually in 3 years or less. This means the upper level management is not honest with their teams and there is little transparency to what the goals truly are. The best thing that could happen would be for the business to be sold to a group of people who truly have a love for the industry and the people who have devoted their lives to it.

There are more issues but this covers the points brought up in the January Opinion article. These issues can be resolved, but I fear the hole is already too deep to dig out of. Someone will have to stand strong and face the fact that money will be lost initially in order to right the ship. Doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

Lowell Anderson was Director Of Content & Private Label Brands for the MAG Retail Group before founding Simply Sound Consulting LLC in mid-2018. He was also Director of Merchandising for J&P Cycles for five years and spent nearly a decade as Hard Equipment Product Manager for KTM.

AIMExpo........................................................................42 Find It Now GPS Security...........................................19 Fuel Capital Group, Inc...............................................11 Harden & Associates...................................................79 McGraw Powersports.................................................23 Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC)............................63 Motorcycle Industry Jobs (MIJ)..................................17 MOTOTV.........................................................................53 National Powersports Auctions (NPA)..............CVR 4 Nelson-Rigg USA, Inc.................................................47

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FEBRUARY 2020

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Ave Atque Vale Paulo Goncalves 1979-2020

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fan favorite and popular with his fellow competitions in the Dakar bivouac, Paulo “Speedy” Goncalves tragically passed away after a crash at this year’s Dakar Rally. During his career, he won numerous motocross and enduro titles in his native Portugal either side of the turn of the century, and made his Dakar debut in 2006, finishing 25th on his first attempt. Cross-country competition soon became his primary focus, and he broke into the Dakar top 10 by 2009, in the first South Americabased edition of the marathon.

Two years later, having swapped a Honda for a BMW, he ended a decadelong stage win drought for the Bavarian marque, but ended up dropping out of the marathon through injury.

In 2012, he was now riding under the banner of the then-BMW owned Husqvarna, but his hopes a career-best Dakar finish were dashed by a six-hour penalty for receiving outside assistance, something the team ardently denied.

The year after, he repeated his best finish of 10th in the Dakar, but also clinched the FIM Cross-Country world championship for Speedbrain – the German organization that had operated Husqvarna’s program before the brand’s acquisition by KTM.

Ahead of the 2014 Dakar, Goncalves and his long-time teammate Joan Barreda followed Speedbrain into the fold of Japanese manufacturer Honda.

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But the Portuguese rider’s first rodeo with Honda ended in disappointment, his bike burning up on the fifth stage.

But the rest of the year brought a good season in the Cross-Country world championship, with an Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge win proving the highlight, before Goncalves mounted his first proper challenge for Dakar victory in 2015.

Goncalves headed Honda’s efforts, finishing as runner-up to Dakar legend Marc Coma and staking a claim to one of the main threats to Austrian manufacturer KTM’s unbeaten streak in the legendary marathon. He looked on the cusp of doing so in 2016, leading the event into the rest day, only for a combination of a crash, a mechanical issue and a hefty penalty to put an end to his aspirations that year. He only finished sixth the year after, and skipped the 2018 Dakar entirely after an ill-timed training accident left him with a shoulder injury.

Late in 2018, Goncalves crashed in national competition and suffered a fractured spleen that required surgery, but he recovered sufficiently in time for the 2019 Dakar. Yet his time with Honda in the legendary race would come to a low-key end as he crashed out just five days into the event.

By then Speedbrain was working with Indian manufacturer Hero, and for 2020 it pulled off a coup by reuniting with Goncalves, who joined the developing project to spearhead its roster alongside his brother-in-law Joaquim Rodriguez.

Admitting he sought “extra motivation” from the switch, Goncalves was encouraged by outings in Morocco and the Silk Way Rally. He had a fantastic run this year, finishing in the top 10 in several stages, while it was in Stage 3 that really showed his true Dakar-spirit when he managed to replace an engine all by himself after a long wait of six hours for the replacement parts and then continued till the end of the stage in complete darkness. While it meant he started at the back of the grid the next day, he rider made a spectacular comeback finishing fourth in Stage 4.

He was ranked 46th in the general standings at the end of Stage 6 and finished in the top 10 for three successive days prior to the mid-rally rest day, before tragically losing his life after the competition resumed. He was the first motorcycle racer to die in the Rally since 2015.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally withdrew from the 2020 Dakar Rally out of respect for their departed teammate. An official statement released from the team read, “The entire Hero MotoSports Team is in deep mourning after the tragic demise of our rider Paulo Goncalves on Sunday.

With immense respect for our departed teammate, Hero MotoSports will not continue its participation at the Dakar Rally 2020. The other riders, along with the team management and support staff, will join the grieving family of Paulo.”

Godspeed Paulo Goncalves

HARDEN & ASSOCIATES

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COMMAND THE 2020 KATANA AND CUT AHEAD OF THE PACK. A bold new expression of style and performance. With power, precision, and craftsmanship, it’s the return of a legendary machine ready to rewrite the rules of what cutting-edge can be.

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2020

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